Evidence map›Paper›PMID 42782534›Full record

ArticleSupportive care in cancer : official journal of the Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer2026

Exploring the feasibility of exercise training during (neo)adjuvant chemotherapy in women with early-stage breast cancer: a pilot study examining immune and metabolic outcomes.

Cristina Crespo-García, Francesco Bettariga, Dennis R Taaffe, John P Campbell, Carolyn J Peddle-McIntyre, Emily Jeffery, Andrew D Redfern, Catherine A Rinaldi, Daniel A Galvao, Robert U Newton

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Article in Supportive care in cancer : official journal of the Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

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0citing papers in PubMed
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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

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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.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

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No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

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5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

10 authors.

Cristina Crespo-GarcíaExercise Medicine Research Institute, Edith Cowan University, Perth, WA, 6027, Australia. ccrespog@our.ecu.edu.au.ORCID http://orcid.org/0009-0004-8981-3610
Francesco BettarigaExercise Medicine Research Institute, Edith Cowan University, Perth, WA, 6027, Australia.
Dennis R TaaffeExercise Medicine Research Institute, Edith Cowan University, Perth, WA, 6027, Australia.
John P CampbellDepartment for Health, University of Bath, Bath, UK.
Carolyn J Peddle-McIntyreExercise Medicine Research Institute, Edith Cowan University, Perth, WA, 6027, Australia.
Emily JefferyCurtin School of Population Health, Curtin University, Perth, WA, Australia.
Andrew D RedfernSchool of Medicine and Pharmacology, University of Western Australia, Perth, WA, Australia.
Catherine A RinaldiCentre for Microscopy, Characterisation & Analysis, University of Western Australia, Perth, WA, Australia.
Daniel A GalvaoExercise Medicine Research Institute, Edith Cowan University, Perth, WA, 6027, Australia.
Robert U NewtonExercise Medicine Research Institute, Edith Cowan University, Perth, WA, 6027, Australia.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

purposeTo examine the feasibility and exploratory immunological, metabolic, and patient-reported effects of a supervised exercise intervention during (neo)adjuvant chemotherapy in women with early-stage breast cancer.

methodsThis non-randomised pilot study examined a 12-week supervised combined aerobic and resistance exercise programme during (neo)adjuvant treatment. Participants self-selected into the exercise intervention, and as no eligible participants opted for the control group, a convenience control group was subsequently recruited for blood biomarker comparisons. Sessions were performed 2-3 times per week-with exercise individually tailored according to treatment-related side effects and by progressively adjusting intensity to maintain a target rating of perceived exertion (RPE) of 12-16 (Borg 6-20 scale). Eleven patients (49.1 ± 14.4 years) completed the intervention and six (57.5 ± 5.4 years) comprised the convenience control group. Outcomes included feasibility (retention, attendance and adherence rates), immune cells, cytokines, metabolic biomarkers, body composition (lean and fat mass), health-related quality of life, and fatigue.

resultsRetention was 11/13 participants (84.6%), while attendance and adherence were 83.6 ± 23.1% and 77.9 ± 24.9%, respectively. Significant differences in immune cell subsets were observed, particularly within the cluster of differentiation 8 (CD8) + T cell compartment. Compared with controls, exercisers showed a greater increase in CD8 + effector memory re-expressing CD45RA (EMRA) cells (p = 0.019, Hedges' g = 1.26) and a reduction in CD8 + naïve T cells (p = 0.029, Hedges' g = - 1.16). Exercise prevented the insulin rise observed in controls (p = 0.034). Compared to baseline, body weight and fat mass were maintained, with a signal toward increased lean mass (0.8 kg, p = 0.093). Finally, exercise improved global quality of life (+ 16.7 points, p = 0.031) and showed a signal toward reduced fatigue (FACIT-F TOI + 8.4 points, p = 0.063).

conclusionsThe supervised exercise programme was feasible among participants who enrolled in the intervention. Exploratory analyses suggest exercise may promote cytotoxic immune cell differentiation and mitigate metabolic dysregulation while significantly improving global quality of life. Larger trials are needed to confirm these findings.

Indexed as

Breast NeoplasmsExercise TherapyAdultAgedBody CompositionChemotherapy, AdjuvantCytokinesExerciseFatigueFeasibility StudiesFemaleHumansMiddle AgedNeoadjuvant TherapyNeoplasm StagingPatient ComplianceCytokinesBreast cancerCD8 + T cellsChemotherapyExercise oncologyFeasibility

Identifiers

PMID42782534
PMCPMC13612707

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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.