Rowing-Based Exercise Intervention on Health and Quality of Life in Breast Cancer Survivors

Registry record from ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT07919730). This is a study registration, not published results. Lead sponsor: Università Cattolica di Milano. Recruitment status: COMPLETED. Phase: NA. Study type: INTERVENTIONAL. Enrollment: 20 participants (ACTUAL). Conditions: Breast Cancer, Breast Cancer Survivors. Interventions: OTHER: Behavioral Rowing-based exercise therapy program. Primary outcome measures: Change in estimated maximal aerobic capacity (VO2max) , Baseline (T0), 3 months (T1), and 6 months (T2); Change in health-related quality of life (EORTC QLQ-C30) , Baseline (T0), 3 months (T1), and 6 months (T2); Change in self-esteem (Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale) , Baseline (T0), 3 months (T1), and 6 months (T2); Change in enjoyment of physical activity (PACES) , Baseline (T0), after each training session, 3 months (T1), and 6 months (T2); Metabolic responses to rowing (oxygen uptake and heart rate) , During selected rowing sessions in the last three months of the intervention (months 4 to 6). Brief summary: The goal of this clinical trial is to learn if a six-month exercise program that combines rowing, walking, and adapted physical activity (such as yoga or Pilates) can improve health and quality of life in women aged 40 to 65 who have had surgery for breast cancer and have completed their post-surgery treatments. Regular exercise is known to benefit cancer survivors, but many women become much less active during and after treatment and do not return to their previous levels. Group water sports such as dragon boat paddling have shown promising results, while very few studies have looked at rowing. This study will also learn about the safety of the program and about how the body responds to rowing. The main questions it aims to answer are whether the program improves physical fitness, including aerobic capacity, hand grip strength, flexibility, and body composition, and whether it improves quality of life and reduces cancer-related fatigue. The study also asks whether practicing rowing brings psychological benefits, such as higher self-esteem, greater enjoyment of physical activity, and a better sense of satisfaction in three areas of life: work, friendship, and love. In addition, it will examine what energy and oxygen demands rowing places on the body, and whether the program is safe and feasible, by recording any exercise-related adverse events and how many of the scheduled sessions participants complete. Before joining, participants will be recruited through the hospital's Breast Unit and will need medical clearance from a physiatrist and a sports medicine physician, who will check their health and eligibility. Participants will then follow the six-month program, doing every week one hour of rowing at a rowing club, one hour of walking on their own, and one hour of adapted physical activity, yoga, or Pilates delivered online by qualified instructors. Rowing sessions will take place in stable boats designed for beginners, in small groups of no more than ten women, with certified instructors, a psychologist, and trained volunteers supervising from the water. Exercises will be adapted to each woman's starting level and will progress gradually. At the start, after three months, and at the end of the program, participants will complete fitness tests (a submaximal cycling test, hand grip strength, flexibility, and body measurements) and questionnaires on physical activity, quality of life, fatigue, self-esteem, enjoyment of exercise, and life satisfaction. After each training session they will also rate how hard it felt, and during selected rowing training sessions, a portable face-worn device will measure their breathing and oxygen use while they are rowing.