B131
Exercise as a supportive therapy in incurable cancer: exploring patient preferences
Matthew Maddocks1, Sarah Armstrong2, Andrew Wilcock1
1University of Nottingham, UK, 2National Institute of Health Research East Midlands Research Design Service, Nottingham, UK
Background
Exercise may benefit patients with cancer but only about half are willing and able to complete a programme. To make exercise a more practical therapy it would help to identify which types of exercise the majority of patients would be capable of and find acceptable. We have explored the acceptability of therapeutic exercise programmes based on six different types of exercise, the preferred delivery method, location and time relative to anticancer treatments and whether choice of exercise was influenced by various patient characteristics.
Method
A computer-based questionnaire determined patients perceived capability and preparedness to undertake the six exercise programmes, each illustrated by looping video clips and accompanying text, the most preferred programme and preferences for its delivery. Frequency counts and percentages with 95% confidence intervals were calculated and multiple logistic regression used to examine associations between patient characteristics and preparedness to undertake each of the programmes.
Results
200 patients (mean (SD) age 64 (9); 103 female) with common incurable cancers mostly receiving chemotherapy took part. All considered themselves physically capable of undertaking one or more of the exercise programmes and two-thirds were prepared to undertake a programme at that moment in time. The most preferred exercise programmes were based on neuromuscular electrical stimulation, walking and resistance training, selected by a median [inter-quartile range] of 36 [35−44]%, 22 [16−30]% and 19 [13−26]% of patients respectively. The majority of patients preferred to undertake exercise at home, alone and unsupervised. One-third were not prepared to undertake any exercise, with a tendency for the least prepared to be older males and those with a lower performance status.
Conclusion
Our findings suggest that it is realistic to develop exercise as a supportive therapy for patients with incurable cancer, including those receiving anticancer treatments, and can be used to inform further research in this area.
