Exercise Intervention for Colorectal Cancer Survivors

Overseen By Heather Greenlee

Age: 18+

Sex: Any

Trial Phase: Academic

Sponsor: Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center

Must not be taking: Antibiotics, Antifungals, Antiparasitics

Disqualifiers: Ileostomy, Colostomy, Inflammatory bowel diseases, others

No Placebo Group All trial participants will receive the active study treatment (no placebo)

Compensation: Varies

Number of Visits: 2

Duration: 8 weeks

30 Participants Needed

What You Need to Know Before You Apply

What is the purpose of this trial?

This trial explores how exercise affects gut bacteria in individuals who have overcome stage II-III colorectal cancer. Researchers aim to determine if exercise alters gut bacteria in ways that might help prevent cancer recurrence. Participants will either join an 8-week exercise program (Exercise Intervention) or receive health information followed by exercise support. Individuals who completed cancer treatment at least two months ago and are not very active may be suitable for this trial. As an unphased study, this trial provides a unique opportunity to contribute to research that could enhance cancer recovery and prevention strategies.

Do I need to stop my current medications to join the trial?

The trial information does not specify whether you need to stop taking your current medications. However, it does exclude participants who have used antibiotics, antifungals, or antiparasitics in the past 6 months.

What prior data suggests that this exercise intervention is safe for colorectal cancer survivors?

Research has shown that exercise is safe and beneficial for people with colorectal cancer. One study found that exercising during and after cancer treatment is not only safe but also offers various benefits to cancer survivors. Another study demonstrated that exercise enhances the fitness levels of cancer survivors.

Evidence also suggests that physical activity can reduce the risk of dying from colorectal cancer and other causes. In some cases, adhering to exercise guidelines lowered the risk of death from colorectal cancer by up to 40%. This indicates that exercise is generally well-tolerated and can positively contribute to cancer care. ^{1 2 3 4 5}

Why are researchers excited about this trial?

Researchers are excited about this trial because it explores the potential of exercise as a supportive care option for colorectal cancer survivors. Unlike traditional treatments like surgery, chemotherapy, or radiation, which focus directly on removing or killing cancer cells, this intervention aims to enhance overall recovery and quality of life through physical activity. The supervised exercise program could potentially improve physical health, reduce fatigue, and even impact biological markers, as seen with the collection of blood samples. By offering a non-invasive and holistic approach, this trial could open new avenues for supporting cancer survivors beyond conventional medical treatments.

What evidence suggests that this exercise intervention is effective for colorectal cancer survivors?

This trial will compare an exercise intervention with a waitlist control for colorectal cancer survivors. Research has shown that exercise benefits those who have survived colorectal cancer (CRC). Studies indicate that physical activity after a CRC diagnosis is linked to a lower risk of dying from the disease. Exercise can enhance overall fitness and metabolism, aiding in CRC management. Additionally, professionally led exercise programs can simplify everyday tasks. While scientists continue to study how exercise might alter gut bacteria and directly affect CRC, current evidence strongly supports exercise as beneficial for survivors. ^{3 6 7 8 9}

Who Is on the Research Team?

Heather Greenlee

Principal Investigator

Fred Hutch/University of Washington Cancer Consortium

Are You a Good Fit for This Trial?

This trial is for stage II-III colorectal cancer survivors aged 18-70, with a BMI of 18.5-30, not currently smoking or pregnant, and within 60 days to 3 years post-cancer treatment. Participants must be able to exercise, have smartphone access, and commit to attending the study sessions.

Inclusion Criteria

No comorbid or physical limitations that would limit participation at the discretion of the treating provider

Body mass index (BMI) between 18.5-30 kg/m^2

Able to understand and willing to sign written informed consent in English

Exclusion Criteria

My BMI is either below 18.5 or above 30.

I have not taken antibiotics, antifungals, or antiparasitics in the last 6 months.

I am not pregnant, breastfeeding, nor planning to become pregnant.

Timeline for a Trial Participant

Screening

Participants are screened for eligibility to participate in the trial

2-4 weeks

Treatment

Participants receive either a supervised exercise intervention or health-related information over 8 weeks. Blood samples are collected at baseline and week 8.

8 weeks

2 visits (in-person)

Follow-up

Participants are monitored for retention, adherence, and acceptability of the intervention.

4 weeks

What Are the Treatments Tested in This Trial?

Interventions

• Exercise Intervention

Trial Overview The trial studies how an exercise program affects gut bacteria in colorectal cancer survivors. It involves moderate-to-vigorous workouts at a research center, along with health education and monitoring through interviews and questionnaires.

How Is the Trial Designed?

Group I: Arm A (exercise intervention) Experimental Treatment 4 Interventions

Patients receive the supervised exercise intervention over 8 weeks on study. Patients also undergo collection of blood samples at baseline and week 8.

Group II: Arm B (waitlist control) Active Control 5 Interventions

Patients receive health-related information for 8 weeks on study. Patients are then offered a session of supervised exercise followed by 7 weeks of tele-coaching sessions. Patients also undergo collection of blood samples at baseline and week 8.

Who Is Running the Clinical Trial?

Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center

Lead Sponsor

Trials

583

Recruited

1,341,000+

National Cancer Institute (NCI)

Collaborator

Trials

14,080

Recruited

41,180,000+

Published Research Related to This Trial

A 12-week supervised exercise program for colorectal cancer survivors was found to be feasible, with a high adherence rate of 91% and a completion rate of over 93% for assessments, indicating strong participant engagement.

The program significantly improved health-related physical fitness, including increases in peak oxygen uptake and body strength, as well as reductions in waist circumference and body fat, which may enhance quality of life and survival for CRC survivors.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Feasibility and efficacy of a 12-week supervised exercise intervention for colorectal cancer survivors. Sellar, CM., Bell, GJ., Haennel, RG., et al.[2022]

Physical activity (PA) interventions significantly improved disease-specific quality of life, PA levels, and maximum oxygen uptake in colorectal cancer (CRC) survivors, based on a systematic review of 7 randomized controlled trials involving 803 participants.

Despite these benefits, the PA interventions did not lead to significant improvements in fatigue or body mass index, highlighting the need for further research to optimize PA delivery methods for CRC survivors.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Physical Activity Interventions for Colorectal Cancer Survivors: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials. Jung, Y., Chung, J., Son, H.[2021]

Physical activity is beneficial for colorectal cancer survivors, as it can reduce the risk of colon cancer recurrence and improve overall quality of life and cardiovascular health, based on a review of existing data.

While the evidence for rectal cancer survivors is less strong, physical activity still shows positive effects on quality of life and health outcomes, potentially through mechanisms involving inflammation and insulin-like growth factors.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Colorectal cancer survivorship: movement matters. Denlinger, CS., Engstrom, PF.[2021]

A ten-step development process was used to create a safe and effective inpatient exercise program for colorectal cancer patients recovering from surgery, which included systematic reviews and expert discussions.

The exercise program significantly reduced the length of hospital stays and the time to flatus, indicating improved recovery outcomes for patients after colectomy.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Development process of an evidence-based exercise program for post-operative colorectal cancer patients. An, KY., In Yang, H., Kang, DW., et al.[2020]

In a study of 321 colorectal cancer survivors, 57% were able to meet the recommended exercise guideline of over 150 minutes per week, highlighting the potential for regular physical activity in this population.

Key factors influencing exercise levels included personal beliefs about exercise, functional status, and environmental barriers like time constraints and weather, suggesting that tailored support from healthcare providers could enhance exercise participation.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Factors Influencing Amount of Weekly Exercise Time in Colorectal Cancer Survivors. Chou, YJ., Lai, YH., Lin, BR., et al.[2018]

High-intensity exercise (HIE) significantly improved cardiorespiratory fitness (V̇O2peak) and body composition in colorectal cancer survivors over 4 weeks, showing increases in both absolute and relative V̇O2peak, while moderate-intensity exercise (MIE) did not yield similar benefits.

HIE led to increases in lean mass and decreases in fat mass and fat percentage, demonstrating its efficacy and safety as an intervention for improving health outcomes in colorectal cancer survivors post-treatment.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

The influence of high-intensity compared with moderate-intensity exercise training on cardiorespiratory fitness and body composition in colorectal cancer survivors: a randomised controlled trial. Devin, JL., Sax, AT., Hughes, GI., et al.[2022]

A pilot study involving 30 colorectal cancer patients showed that exercise training after adjuvant chemotherapy is feasible and safe, with patients achieving significant improvements in physical performance, weight loss, and body fat reduction over one year.

Despite the positive outcomes, compliance was a major issue, with 33.3% of participants dropping out due to non-compliance, highlighting the need for strategies to enhance adherence in future studies.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

A prospective, multicenter pilot study to investigate the feasibility and safety of a 1-year controlled exercise training after adjuvant chemotherapy in colorectal cancer patients. Piringer, G., Fridrik, M., Fridrik, A., et al.[2019]

High-intensity interval exercise (HIIE) significantly improves cardiorespiratory fitness (V˙o2peak) and reduces fat mass more effectively than moderate-intensity continuous exercise (MICE) in colorectal cancer survivors over an 8-week period.

Even after reducing the frequency of HIIE sessions, participants maintained their fitness gains and fat loss, indicating that HIIE can provide lasting benefits with less training compared to traditional exercise guidelines.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Cardiorespiratory Fitness and Body Composition Responses to Different Intensities and Frequencies of Exercise Training in Colorectal Cancer Survivors. Devin, JL., Jenkins, DG., Sax, AT., et al.[2022]

In the CAN-HOPE trial involving 69 colorectal cancer survivors, participants reported not meeting the minimum exercise guidelines in 39.2% of the weeks, highlighting significant challenges in adherence to exercise recommendations.

The most common barriers to exercise included lack of time, treatment side effects, and fatigue, which accounted for 70% to 80% of missed exercise weeks, suggesting targeted interventions could help improve adherence.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

A longitudinal study of exercise barriers in colorectal cancer survivors participating in a randomized controlled trial. Courneya, KS., Friedenreich, CM., Quinney, HA., et al.[2022]

A home-based exercise program significantly improved quality of life (QOL) and emotional well-being in colorectal cancer survivors, with notable improvements in specific QOL sub-domains.

Participants in the exercise group increased their physical activity levels significantly after 12 weeks, demonstrating the program's effectiveness in promoting a more active lifestyle compared to the control group.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Effects of a 12-week home-based exercise program on quality of life, psychological health, and the level of physical activity in colorectal cancer survivors: a randomized controlled trial. Kim, JY., Lee, MK., Lee, DH., et al.[2019]

Citations

1. pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC8560161/

Physical Activity Interventions for Colorectal Cancer Survivors Physical activity interventions significantly improved disease-specific quality of life, PA level, and maximum amount of oxygen and did not show significant ...

2. sciencedirect.com sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1040842824003457

Grading the evidence for physical activity and any outcome ... In colorectal cancer, both strong and highly suggestive evidence showed that post-diagnosis physical activity reduced total mortality,(Qiu et al., 2020) while ...

3. bmccancer.biomedcentral.com bmccancer.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12885-025-14532-y

Effect of different types of aerobic exercises on cancer-related ... Several studies have indicated that the combination of aerobic exercise with resistance training is more effective in reducing CRF compared to ...

4. pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32533468/

Exercise intervention for post-treatment colorectal cancer ... Conclusions: Our results revealed that exercise could be a feasible and effective option for improving cardiopulmonary fitness, metabolism, and tumor-related ...

5. nature.com nature.com/articles/s41598-022-06165-z

Home-based, supervised, and mixed exercise intervention ... A meta-analysis revealed that exercise intervention entirely supervised or with any level of supervision is effective in improving the FC in CRC ...

6. pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC6522766/

Effect of exercise on colorectal cancer prevention and treatment In CRC survivors who adhered to the new guidelines, CRC-specific mortality has been shown to be 10%–40% less and all-cause mortality to be 20%–50% less[50-53].

7. pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11789654/

A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized ... The results of this study showed that aerobic combined with resistance exercise assists cancer survivors in improving exercise capacity ...

8. ijbnpa.biomedcentral.com ijbnpa.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12966-020-01021-7

Exercise and colorectal cancer: a systematic review and meta ... Findings from this meta-analysis suggest that exercise is safe and feasible for individuals with colorectal cancer during and following ...

9. aicr.org aicr.org/news/colorectal-cancer-survivors-who-exercise-supervised-or-not-reap-benefits-study-suggests/

Colorectal Cancer Survivors who Exercise—Supervised or ... In general, exercise both during and after a cancer diagnosis has been found to be safe for cancer survivors and provide many benefits, ...