Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41593692›Full record

Trial reportBMC medicine2026

Effects of aerobic or resistance exercise on sleep and cancer-related fatigue in patients with breast cancer during or after neoadjuvant chemotherapy: a 3-arm randomized controlled trial.

Alexander Haussmann, Martina E Schmidt, Siri Goldschmidt, Anouk E Hiensch, Joachim Wiskemann, Karen Steindorf

Registry-linked trialAbstract readRandomized Controlled Trial
In one paragraph

Trial report in BMC medicine, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to trial NCT02999074 (A Randomized 3-arm Exercise Intervention Trial for Breast Cancer Patients Undergoing Neoadjuvant Chemotherapy), which is not on this map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

NCT02999074 naactive not recruitingnot on this map

A Randomized 3-arm Exercise Intervention Trial for Breast Cancer Patients Undergoing Neoadjuvant Chemotherapy

TypeinterventionalSponsorGerman Cancer Research CenterRan2016 to 2025Enrolled183ConditionsBreast CancerArmsResistance exercise, Aerobic exercise, Usual care during neoadjuvant chemotherapy/Exercise after surgery
3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

6 authors.

Alexander HaussmannDivision of Physical Activity, Cancer Prevention and Survivorship, German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ) and National Center for Tumor Diseases (NCT) Heidelberg, a partnership between DKFZ and University Medical Center Heidelberg, Im Neuenheimer Feld 581, Heidelberg, 69120, Germany.
Martina E SchmidtDivision of Physical Activity, Cancer Prevention and Survivorship, German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ) and National Center for Tumor Diseases (NCT) Heidelberg, a partnership between DKFZ and University Medical Center Heidelberg, Im Neuenheimer Feld 581, Heidelberg, 69120, Germany.
Siri GoldschmidtDivision of Physical Activity, Cancer Prevention and Survivorship, German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ) and National Center for Tumor Diseases (NCT) Heidelberg, a partnership between DKFZ and University Medical Center Heidelberg, Im Neuenheimer Feld 581, Heidelberg, 69120, Germany.
Anouk E HienschUniversity Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht University, P.O. Box 85500, Utrecht, GA, 3508, The Netherlands.
Joachim WiskemannDivision of Medical Oncology, University Clinic Heidelberg and National Center for Tumor Diseases (NCT) Heidelberg, a partnership between DKFZ and University Medical Center Heidelberg, Im Neuenheimer Feld 460, Heidelberg, 69120, Germany.
Karen SteindorfDivision of Physical Activity, Cancer Prevention and Survivorship, German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ) and National Center for Tumor Diseases (NCT) Heidelberg, a partnership between DKFZ and University Medical Center Heidelberg, Im Neuenheimer Feld 581, Heidelberg, 69120, Germany. k.steindorf@dkfz-heidelberg.de.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundThe aim of this secondary analysis of the BENEFIT randomized controlled trial was to investigate the effects of aerobic training (AT) or resistance training (RT) during neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NACT) on sleep and cancer-related fatigue (CRF), compared to a waitlist control group (WCG) that performed RT after surgery.

methodsIn the BENEFIT study, 184 patients with breast cancer with scheduled NACT (mean age = 50 years, standard deviation = 11) were randomized to AT (n = 62), RT (n = 62), or WCG (n = 60). While the AT and RT groups trained during NACT (two supervised and one home-based session weekly), the WCG completed the same training as the RT group but only after breast surgery. Self-reported sleep quality (Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index) and CRF (EORTC QLQ-FA12) were collected before NACT (T0), after 9 weeks (T1), after NACT and before surgery (T2), 6 months after surgery (T3), and 12 months after surgery (T4). At T0, T2, and T3, sleep was additionally objectively measured by actigraphy.

resultsLongitudinal analyses of covariance examining changes from baseline suggested no clear difference of AT and RT compared to the WCG regarding sleep and CRF parameters post-intervention (T2). In contrast, at T3 the WCG, which exercised between T2 and T3, showed more favorable mean values compared to the AT group in total CRF (adjusted mean difference (AMD): - 10.53, 95% CI [- 19.63, - 1.42]) and physical CRF (AMD: - 14.28 [- 26.02, - 2.54] on 0-100 scale), and a tendency toward lower scores in self-reported global sleep quality (AMD: - 0.24 [- 0.48, 0.01] on log-transformed scale). Moderation analyses further suggested that group differences in total CRF at T3 in favor of the WCG were more pronounced among participants with at least mild emotional distress at baseline. There were no clear differences between groups in objective sleep parameters at T2 or T3, or regarding self-reported sleep or fatigue endpoints at T4.

conclusionsThe findings suggest that exercise interventions in the post-NACT phase may be more effective than during NACT for managing fatigue, while providing limited benefits for sleep.

trial registrationThe BENEFIT study has been registered at ClincialTrials.gov (NCT02999074).

Indexed as

Breast NeoplasmsExerciseFatigueNeoadjuvant TherapyResistance TrainingSleepAdultFemaleHumansMiddle AgedBreast cancerEndurance trainingExerciseFatigueInsomniaOncologyPatient-reported outcomesQuality of lifeSleepStrength training

Identifiers

PMID41593692
PMCPMC12924517

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Registered trials

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.