Multimodal physical exercise and functional rehabilitation program in oncological patients with cancer-related fatigue. A randomized clinical trial

Background: The increase in life expectancy and survival time implies an increase in the possible side-effects of pharmacological treatments in these patients. Cancer-related fatigue is one of them. The main objective of this study is to evaluate the effects of a multimodal program of physical exercise and functional rehabilitation on asthenia, pain, functional capacity and quality of life in cancer patients with cancer-related fatigue. Methods This was a randomized, parallel-controlled clinical trial, with two arms (experimental and control group), and it was conducted over the course of a year in the Oncology Hospitalization Unit at the CAUSA. Participants were assessed at three points during the study. First assessment was prior to hospital discharge, second assessment was after 15 days, and final assessment was at one-month post-hospital follow-up. The main variables to be studied are the dependency levels (Barthel), cancer-related fatigue (FACT-An), health-related quality of life (EuroQoL-5D), functional capacity (SPPB) and kinesiophobia (TSK-F). Results Sample size (n = 44). Mean age 63.46 ± 12.36 years. Significant differences between control and experimental group participants in Barthel, FACT-An, TSK-F and SPPB scores (p = 0.000) at follow-up and final assessment. Conclusions There are beneficial effects of a multimodal physical exercise and functional rehabilitation program in improving the autonomy of cancer-related fatigue patients. Trials registration: The clinical trial was registered in ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT04761289). (18/02/2021). https://register.clinicaltrials.gov/prs/app/action/SelectProtocol?sid=S000AP1U&selectaction=Edit&uid=U0004OJ7&ts=2&cx=bz92lb