Clinical trial · Interventional
Impact of Pilates Method on Myofascial Stiffness, Cardiorespiratory Fitness and Quality of Life in Breast Cancer Women
Influence of Pilates Method Intervention on Changes in Myofascial Stiffness, Cardiorespiratory Fitness and Quality of Life in Women With Breast Cancer
- Source
- ClinicalTrials.gov
- Retrieved
- Sep 8, 2026
- Layer
- normalized (units and labels harmonized; values unchanged)
- Run
- ING-CLINICALTRIALS-20260908-000001
Summary
Brief summary (as posted)
The effectiveness of breast cancer treatment is quite well documented. Still, side effects can underpin other treatment-induced diseases such as osteopenia, diabetes, and especially cardiovascular dysfunction. Therefore, finding a method that could partly counteract these side effects and at the same time be implemented throughout treatment is a challenge for researchers. The main purpose of this experimental, randomized control trial was to analyze the effect of the Pilates Method (PM) intervention on changing the myofascial stiffness along the thoracic and lumbar spine, cardiorespiratory fitness and quality of life in women with breast cancer receiving aromatase inhibitor therapy. The apllied procedure of 12 -week PM training included the training intervention based on hypothesis: * PM reduces myofascial stiffness along the thoracic and lumbar spine of women with breast cancer receiving aromatase inhibitor therapy * PM improves the cardiorespiratory fitness of women with breast cancer receiving aromatase inhibitor therapy * PM improves the quality of life of women with breast cancer receiving aromatase inhibitor therapy. Possible practical applications include the domains of exercise medicine, physical activity in cancer and public health.
Conditions
Conditions (1)
Free-text conditions as registered, with the CancerIndex entity they were reconciled to and the match type.
| Condition (as posted) | Mapped entity | Match | Confidence |
|---|---|---|---|
| Breast Cancer Female | — | UNRESOLVED | — |
Interventions
Interventions (1)
| Intervention | Type | Mapped drug | Match |
|---|---|---|---|
| supervised physical activity intervention using the Pilates Method (exercises on the mat) | Behavioral | — | UNRESOLVED |
Design
Arms and outcomes
Arms (2)
- type
- EXPERIMENTAL
- label
- Exercises group (EG)
- description
- The exercise group (EG) participated in supervised physical activity intervention using the Pilates Method (exercises on the mat, 60min each session, 2 sessions each week over 12 weeks) were administered by certified Pilates teacher.
- interventionNames
- Behavioral: supervised physical activity intervention using the Pilates Method (exercises on the mat)
- type
- NO_INTERVENTION
- label
- Usual-Care Group (U-CG)
- description
- Patients in the U-CG were instructed to continue with their usual activities: a) to avoid changing their diet habits during intervention; b) being physically active as usual.
Primary outcomes (27)
- measure
- Quality of life - Global Health Status
- timeFrame
- before and after 12-week intervention
Eligibility
Eligibility (as posted)
- Sex
- Female
- Minimum age
- 30 Years
- Maximum age
- 55 Years
Show eligibility criteria text
Inclusion Criteria: 1. women with invasive breast cancer 2. stage of disease according to TNM classification I-III 3. cancer with estrogen receptor expression in at least 10% of cell nuclei 4. supplemental hormone therapy with an aromatase inhibitor used for at least 6 months 5. performance status according to ECOG classification 0-1 6. BMI of 18.5-30 7. without chronic diseases affecting the limitation of the use of oncological treatment 8. without contraindications to participation in group supervised Pilates classes 9. participation in at least 17 of 24 classes according to the proposed schedule Exclusion Criteria: 1. invasive breast cancer stage IV according to TNM classification 2. performance status according to ECOG classification 2-4 3. unregulated hypertension 4. unstable ischemic heart disease 5. arrhythmia 6. rheumatic diseases 7. osteoporosis 8. advanced osteoarthritis 9. disease of rheumatic origin (AS, RA, fibromyalgia) 10. pregnancy 11. BMI \< 18.5 or above 30 12. unregulated hypothyroidism/hyperthyroidism Criteria for drop out The criteria for discontinuing allocated interventions are as follows: 1) participant's voluntary withdrawal from the study; 2) worsening of oncological prognosis that prevents the continuation; 3) absence of training sessions due to unjustified reasons in the case of the PG (compliance below 70%).
References
Publications (1)
- DERIVEDTarnas M, Stemplewski R, Ciekot-Soltysiak M, Pospieszna B, Kufel-Grabowska J, Marszalek A, Zielinski J, Ziemann E. Pilates Method as a complementary activity reduces myofascial stiffness and pain in women with breast cancer undergoing aromatase inhibitor therapy: a randomized controlled trial. Sci Rep. 2026 Jun 25. doi: 10.1038/s41598-026-58461-7. Online ahead of print. PMID 42350535