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Clinical Trials/NCT07159646
NCT07159646Not yet recruitingNot Applicable

Athletic Intervention After THoracic surgEry for luNg cAncer: a Pilot Study.

Fondazione IRCCS Policlinico San Matteo di Pavia2 sites in 1 country10 target enrollmentStarted: October 1, 2025Last updated:
Conditions
Interventions

Trial Snapshot

Phase
Not Applicable
Status
Not yet recruiting
Sponsor
Enrollment
10
Locations
2
Primary Endpoint
Primary endpoints will be improvement of pulmonary function (VO2max)

Study Overview

Brief Summary

This is a pilot trial, monocentric interventional study that aims to investigate the results obtained by administering a specific athletic/physical protocol to a cohort of patients who undergo lung surgery after Non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) diagnosis.

Several studies explored the effects of combined aerobic and resistance training and demonstrated that exercise training improved fitness level (distance walked on the six-minute walk test) and which may also positively influence long-term HRQoL, fatigue, and exercise capacity. Due to the limited number of studies, the effect of exercise training on improvement of pulmonary function (FEV1 and DLCO) and quality of life and other outcomes is still unclear.

Several studies explored the effects of combined aerobic and resistance training, however few and controversial data are till now available regarding athletic programs for NSCLC resected patients with good performance status.

Ten consecutive patients who underwent resective surgery for NSCLC (5 males and 5 females) will be recruited in to the study.

Before and after the training program, patients will undergo evaluation procedures aimed at investigating exercise capacity, respiratory capacity and muscle power. Both the evaluations and exercise sessions will take place at the CRIAMS Sports Medicine Centre (University of Pavia).

Each patient will be addressed to a 6-month athletic program under the supervision of a motor scientist to evaluate if this active intervention could positively impact on the recovery and improvement of pulmonary function as well as on quality of life after surgery for cancer.

The primary endpoint will be the change of pulmonary function VO2 max) measured at baseline and at the 6 th month of the study. It is defined as the amount of oxygen consumed while sitting at rest and is equal to 3.5 ml O2 per kg body weight x min.

Study findings will be compared to storage data on NSCLC patients (with comparable features) who underwent surgery in absence of subsequent active training programs.

Detailed Description

The aim of this pilot study is to assess in a preliminary cohort the effect of an active athletic training program in improving respiratory function parameters as well as quality of life after resective surgery for lung cancer. Ten patients (5 males and 5 females) who underwent lung resection for cancer will be identified and selected based on their high PS, the absence of comorbidity and need of adjuvant therapy based on post operative TNM disease stage IA and after multidisciplinary evaluation by GINT. The study will last 6 months for each of the 10 subjects enrolled during 12 months. The subsequent follow up for each patient will last 6 months. Each patient will be addressed to a 6-month athletic program under the supervision of a motor scientist to evaluate if this active intervention could positively impact on the recovery and improvement of pulmonary function as well as on quality of life after surgery for cancer. Moreover, although a pilot study, we will also evaluate stratify patients based on their gender and age to evaluate potential impact of demographic features.

Study participants will be recruited at Fondazione IRCCS Policlinico San Matteo, SC Pneumologia among those patients affected by lung cancer and addressed to surgery with a curative setting. After surgery each case will be rediscussed multidisciplinary and patients with higher performance status, defined by ECOG score 0 and CCI score from 1 to 4, will be selected for the study.

Specifically the ECOG Performance Status Scale describes a patient's level of functioning in terms of their ability to care for themselves, daily activity, and physical ability. An ECOG score of 0 identifies a fully active person, able to perform all pre-disease services without limitations. The Charlson Comorbidity Index (CCI) is used to classify comorbid conditions which may influence mortality risk. The severity of comorbidity from mild (CCI scores of 1-2) to moderate (CCI scores of 3-4) is used for the selection of patients in the study. Higher scores indicate a more severe condition and consequently, a worse prognosis.

Data obtained will be compared to storage data and published ones on patients with the same features of those enrolled in the study, who are addressed on to follow up after surgery.

Patients will be followed by motor scientists during their active training. Exercises could be slightly modified and each modification will be reported to CRF. In case of need of relevant modification of the training exercises the patient will leave the study.

Study Design

Study Type
Interventional
Allocation
Na
Intervention Model
Single Group
Primary Purpose
Other
Masking
None

Eligibility Criteria

Ages
18 Years to — (Adult, Older Adult)
Sex
All
Accepts Healthy Volunteers
No

Inclusion Criteria

  • •Male and female ≥18 years old
  • •Patient underwent a curative surgical treatment of NSCLC (stage IA according to AIOM guidelines, website https://www.iss.it/documents/20126/8403839/LG149_Polmone_agg2024.pdf/9e22916b-799c-3966-7dc9-01762112ce94?version=1.0&t=1732534604319)
  • •First whole body CT scan after surgery (executed according to routine procedures two months after surgery) negative for cancer recurrence
  • •Patients highest scores of performance status, defined after multidisciplinary evaluation by Interdisciplinary Group for Tho-racic Neoplasms (GINT) using ECOG Performance Status Scale and Charlson Comorbidity Index (CCI). Subject with ECOG score 0 and CCI score from 1 to 4 is eligible.
  • •Informed Consent as documented by signa-ture

Exclusion Criteria

  • •Requirement of adjuvant treatment
  • •Women who are pregnant or breast feeding
  • •Intention to become pregnant during the course of the study,
  • •Lack of safe contraception, defined as: Female participants of childbearing potential, not using and not willing to continue using a medically reliable method of contraception for the en-tire study duration, such as oral, injectable, or implantable contraceptives, or intrauterine contraceptive devices, or who are not using any other method considered sufficiently reliable by the investigator in individual cases. (Female participants who are surgically sterilised/hysterectomised or post- meno-pausal for longer than 2 years are not considered as being of child bearing potential)
  • •Other clinically significant concomitant disease states (e.g., respiratory failure, COPD, interstitial lung disease, hepatic dysfunction, cardiovascular disease)
  • •Known or suspected non-compliance, drug or alcohol abuse,
  • •Inability to follow the procedures of the study
  • •Participation in another study with investigational asset within the 30 days preceding and during the present study
  • •Enrolment of the investigator, his/her family members, em-ployees and other dependent persons

Arms & Interventions

athletic programs for NSCLC resected patients with good performance status

Experimental

evaluation procedures aimed at investigating exercise capacity, respiratory capacity and muscle power

Intervention: exercise interventions (Other)

Outcomes

Primary Outcomes

Primary endpoints will be improvement of pulmonary function (VO2max)

Time Frame: From enrollment to the 6 th month of the study

The primary endpoint will be the change of pulmonary function (VO2 max) measured at baseline and at the 6 th month of the study. It is defined as the amount of oxygen consumed while sitting at rest and is equal to 3.5 ml O2 per kg body weight x min

Secondary Outcomes

No secondary outcomes reported

Investigators

Sponsor
Fondazione IRCCS Policlinico San Matteo di Pavia
Sponsor Class
Other
Responsible Party
Principal Investigator
Principal Investigator

Giulia Maria Stella

Giulia Maria Stella

Fondazione IRCCS Policlinico San Matteo di Pavia

Study Sites (2)

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