Can exercise and nutrition prehab help breast cancer patients through chemo?
NCT ID NCT07819981
First seen Sep 15, 2026 · Last updated Sep 16, 2026 · Updated 1 time
Summary
Researchers at City of Hope test whether a prehabilitation program is practical for breast cancer patients receiving chemotherapy before surgery. The program includes aerobic exercise, nutrition guidance, and education, all led by a physiatry team. Twenty participants will be asked to follow the plan and attend assessments. The study measures how well people stick to the program and whether it affects fitness and daily function.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- a physiatry-led prehabilitation program combining aerobic exercise, nutrition guidance, and education
- What this could lead to
- If the program proves feasible, it could shape how cancer centers support patients during chemotherapy before surgery, helping them stay stronger and recover more easily.
- What could go wrong
- This is a small pilot study of 20 people at one center, so it cannot show whether prehabilitation improves outcomes. Many patients may find the exercise and diet targets hard to meet during treatment.
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Study facts
What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.
- Phase
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Not a phased trial
Phase numbers describe drug development. The registry uses this when they do not apply, as it does for trials of devices, procedures or behaviour changes, and for observational studies.
- Participants
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About 20 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Expected to start
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Feb 2027
An estimate. Start dates often move.
- Expected to finish
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Jul 2029
An estimate. End dates often move.
- Lead sponsor
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Other sponsor
The registry's catch-all category, for sponsors it does not file as a company, a government agency, or a research network.
Who can take part
This study's own entry requirements. Only the study team can say for certain whether you qualify.
- Ages
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18 years and older
- Sex
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Anyone
- Healthy volunteers
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Not accepted
This study is not open to healthy volunteers. The entry requirements below say who it is open to.
Show the full entry requirements Hide the full entry requirements
Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.
Inclusion Criteria: * PATIENT INCLUSION: * Documented informed consent of the participant and/or legally authorized representative * Willingness to comply with a physiatry consultation, start a tailored training program, and follow-up assessments * Age: \>= 18 years * Able to read and write in English * A diagnosis of breast cancer planned for curative intent neoadjuvant systemic treatment (NST) with a goal of breast cancer surgery * Plan to start NST at City of Hope Orange County * HEALTHCARE TEAM INCLUSION: * Willingness to complete the Healthcare Team Feedback Survey * \> 18 years old * Physicians, advanced practice providers, nurses, medical assistants, rehabilitation therapists, social workers, dietitians, mental health professionals, and other clinical staff who interact with study participants in the course of routine care Exclusion Criteria: * PATIENT EXCLUSION: * Current or planned cancer treatment for a second cancer not of breast origin * Clinically significant uncontrolled illness limiting participation with the research intervention and assessments * Cancer with distant metastases * Other active malignancy * Pregnant or breastfeeding * Physician judgment (based on information gathered during consult visit) of medical instability including conditions such as unstable cardiopulmonary status, recent embolism (\< 4 weeks), suspected or known dissecting aneurysm, severe hypertension (resting blood pressure \> 180/110), chronic infectious disease, uncontrolled metabolic disease (e.g. diabetes with ketosis), active seizure, mental/physical impairments limiting safe exercise, or sepsis * Meeting or exceeding exercise guidelines over the last one month, based on the responses from the Godin Leisure-Time Physical Activity and Exercise Intent Questionnaire * Started second cycle before the physiatry consult * Inability to independently follow instructions for study assessments for any reason such as mental incapacitation or significant emotional or psychological disorder that, in the opinion of the investigators, precludes study entry. (These patients may not be able to cooperate with the prehabilitation interventions or with the data collection process.) * Unable to independently answer questionnaires in English or provide informed consent for any reason * HEALTHCARE TEAM EXCLUSION: * Healthcare workers who do not interact with study participants and therefore cannot provide relevant feedback
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Conditions
The condition(s) this trial relates to.
As listed by the trial registrant
The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.
How to take part
Only the study team decides who joins. These are the ways to reach them.
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The places running it
2 sites. The list below names each one and where it is.
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The official record
ClinicalTrials.gov lists the study team's own contact details, including names and phone numbers. We don't republish those.
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A doctor treating you
A doctor who knows your case can contact a study site on your behalf, and can tell you whether this study is worth pursuing at all.
Contacts and locations
Locations
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City of Hope Medical Center
Duarte, California, 91010, United States
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City of Hope at Irvine Lennar
Irvine, California, 92618, United States
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