Exercise Rehabilitation in Veteran Cancer Survivors



Status:Recruiting
Conditions:Cancer, Cancer
Therapuetic Areas:Oncology
Healthy:No
Age Range:60 - 80
Updated:3/14/2019
Start Date:March 7, 2019
End Date:December 30, 2022
Contact:Alice S Ryan, PhD
Email:Alice.Ryan@va.gov
Phone:(410) 605-7851

Use our guide to learn which trials are right for you!

Progressive Activity-Based Rehabilitation in Veteran Cancer Survivors With Chronic Pain

Exercise rehabilitation has the potential as a non-pharmacological approach to reduce
persistent neuropathic pain in Veterans with lung cancer. By examining the effects of
exercise training in Veteran cancer survivors with NSCLC, there is the potential to
revolutionize care for a: common, debilitating, and inadequately treated symptom in a growing
population. This could lead to a larger investigation to fill critical gaps in the literature
and at the same time help discover a new model of care for Veterans with chronic pain. The
ultimate goal is to reduce this type of pain for the growing population of cancer survivors
while simultaneously reducing the need for problematic opioid management.

Persistent or chronic neuropathic pain, either post-thoracotomy persistent pain (PTPP) or
chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy (CIPN) occurs in a majority of lung cancer
patients. Thus, not only is this neuropathic pain widespread; there is no way to prevent its
development, and long-term use of opioids for control of symptoms could result in addiction.
Ultimately, PTPP and CIPN can lead to long-term suffering and disability during the
post-treatment phase.(NSCLC), which represents about 85% of lung cancer cases.This is the
first project of its kind and the potential impact of this research is large, because
exercise training will be a prescription and the first approach for which NSCLC survivors can
self-manage chronic neuropathic pain. The ultimate goal of the investigators' work is to
reduce neuropathic pain for the growing population of cancer survivors while simultaneously
reducing the need for problematic pharmacologic management. Therefore, results of this study
have potential for high impact on symptom care because it will allow effective neuropathic
pain treatment to be in full control of the Veteran, and likely restore function that is lost
during the chronic pain experience.

Specific Aims:

1. To determine the feasibility of conducting an exercise rehabilitation intervention in
Veterans with NSCLC and PTPP or CIPN.

2. To determine the effects of a VAMHCS-supervised activity rehabilitation program on
chronic pain, and sensory thresholds (thermal, static, and dynamic) compared to delayed
control.

3. To assess changes in fitness, strength, physical function, fatigue, and quality of life
(QoL) after activity-based rehabilitation compared to control period.

Inclusion Criteria:

1. Age 60-80 years

2. Diagnosis with lung cancer, stage I-III

3. History of treatment with either thoracotomy procedure or neurotoxic chemotherapy or
both

4. Completion of thoracotomy or chemotherapy > or = 6 months

5. Ability to walk on a treadmill

6. Karnofsky performance status > 70

7. Score > 1 Neuropathic Pain Scale

Exclusion Criteria:

1. Presence of metastatic (stage IV)

2. Life expectancy < 6 months

3. Musculoskeletal or medical conditions which preclude participation in an exercise
program
We found this trial at
1
site
Baltimore, Maryland 21201
Principal Investigator: Alice S. Ryan, PhD
Phone: 410-605-7851
?
mi
from
Baltimore, MD
Click here to add this to my saved trials