Impact of an 8-week supervised resistance exercise program on physical and psychological outcomes in patients with breast cancer bone metastasis.

Ashiyat Akodu, Aminat Abolade
Purpose:

The aim of this study was therefore to determine the impact of an 8-week supervised resistance exercise program on pain severity, level of fatigue, quality of life and psychological status (anxiety and depression) in patients with breast cancer bone metastasis.

Methods:

A total of twenty-six (26) female patients with breast cancer bone metastasis participated in this study. They were recruited from the outpatient clinic, NSIA-LUTH Cancer Centre (NLCC), Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH), Idi-araba, Lagos state, Nigeria. Participants were randomly assigned into two groups using a computer-generated random number sequence: Group A received supervised resistance exercises, while Group B (control group) received passive physiotherapy in the form of breathing exercises for eight weeks. Assessment of pain severity, level of fatigue, psychological status (anxiety and depression) and quality of life were done using the Visual Analogue Scale (VAS), Multidimensional Fatigue Symptom Inventory-Short Form (MFSI-SF), Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) and European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life Questionnaire for patients with bone metastases (EORTC QLQ-BM22) respectfully. T-test was used to compare baseline, end of 4th week and 8th week post-treatment changes in outcome measures for each group, while ANOVA was used to detect any statistically significant difference across the weeks.

Results:

The results of this study showed that there was significant improvement between baseline and 8th week post-intervention for pain severity (p = 0.001), fatigue level (p = 0.001), quality of life [Painful Sites (p = 0.035); Pain Characteristics (p = 0.047); Functional Interference (p = 0.041); and Psychosocial Aspects (p = 0.017)] and psychological status (anxiety and depression) (p = 0.001) in Group A compared to Group B (control group). Group B showed no significant improvement between baseline and 8th week post-intervention for pain severity (p = 0.621), fatigue level (p = 0.432), quality of life [Painful Sites (p = 0.199); Pain Characteristics (p = 0.185); Functional Interference (p = 0.723); and Psychosocial Aspects (p = 0.612)] and psychological status (depression) (p = 0.183) but showed significant improvements in anxiety level (p = 0.018). 

Conclusion(s):

The use of an 8-week supervised resistance exercise program resulted in a significant reduction in pain severity, level of fatigue and improvements in the quality of life and psychological status in patients with breast cancer bone metastasis.

Implications:

The results of this study demonstrate that supervised resistance exercise was an effective treatment to lessen the disease burden associated with bone metastatic disease in patients with breast cancer. Clinicians should consider incorporating resistance exercise into rehabilitation protocols for these patients to improve physical function and enhance quality of life.

Funding acknowledgements:
No funding was received for this research.
Keywords:
Breast Cancer
Bone Metastasis
Supervised Resistance Exercises
Primary topic:
Oncology, HIV and palliative care
Did this work require ethics approval?:
Yes
Name the institution and ethics committee that approved your work:
Health Research Ethics Committee of College of Medicine of the University of Lagos.
Provide the ethics approval number:
CMUL/HREC/11/23/1298
Has any of this material been/due to be published or presented at another national or international conference prior to the World Physiotherapy Congress 2025?:
No

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