How Easy-to-Follow Exercises Can Help Cancer Patients With Anxiety While Receiving Chemotherapy

NCT06943638 | Completed Results

• 1 other identifier: 779/15-1-2024
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 45
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

Brief Summary

Cancer is one of the main causes of death, and this study looks at how light exercise and stretching might reduce anxiety in patients receiving chemotherapy. The research took place in a hospital's daily care unit and used a study design where each patient was compared to themselves, measuring anxiety before and after the exercise program.

Conditions

Cancer; Exercise; Stress

Keywords

cancer; physiotherapy; exercise; physical therapy; chemotherapy; stress

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (1)

• The Change in the Anxiety Assessment Scale (STAI-State) for Cancer Patients Receiving Chemotherapy Doing Mild Exercises and Stretches

  The STAI-State (Greek version, State-Trait Anxiety Inventory -STAI-) will be used to assess anxiety levels in cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy, before and after a brief exercise intervention. The STAI-State scale has a 20-item questionnaire where individuals rate how they feel at a particular moment on a scale from "not at all" to "very much so." "Not at all" equal to 1, "Somewhat" to 2, "Moderately so" to 3, "Very much so" to 4. Scores are submitted and range from 20 to 80, with higher scores indicating greater anxiety. No subscale is required to compute At baseline (Time = 0 minutes), participants complete the STAI-State scale. They then engage in a 15-minute mild exercise and stretching program tailored to their physical condition. In some cases, particularly among younger participants, the session may be conducted in small groups of up to 2 individuals. Immediately post-intervention (approximately 20 minutes from baseline), participants complete the STAI-State scale again.

  Baseline and approximately 20 minutes post-intervention

Study Arms (1)

Mild exercise and stretching

EXPERIMENTAL

They received individualized workout and stretching programme to relieve some of the stress

Other: Mild Exercise and stretches

Interventions

Mild Exercise and stretches OTHER

For 15 minutes the patient received an individualized mild workout program intending to relax and relieve some of his stress. The workout includes deep breaths, easy-to-do exercises, and stretches from lying on the bed, sitting in a chair, or standing. I always followed the patient's tempo and provided him with as many breaks as he needed.

Mild exercise and stretching

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 18 Years - 90 Years
• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: No
• Age Groups: Adult (18-64), Older Adult (65+)

You may qualify if:

• Adult patients (\>18 years old) with cancer receiving chemotherapy
• Signed patient consent

You may not qualify if:

• The denial of the patient
• The occurrence of side effects from the treatment (such as dizziness, nausea, severe fatigue)
• Patients with low cognitive level where they could not follow simple instructions
• Patients with hearing disorders that prevented them from following simple instructions
• Patients who could not mobilize independently.

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Christine Mavrogiannopoulou: lead

Study Sites (1)

General Oncological Hospital of Kifisia Oi Agioi Anargyroi

Athens, Kifissia, 14564, Greece

Location

Related Publications (2)

• Furmaniak AC, Menig M, Markes MH. Exercise for women receiving adjuvant therapy for breast cancer. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2016 Sep 21;9(9):CD005001. doi: 10.1002/14651858.CD005001.pub3.

  PMID: 27650122 BACKGROUND

• Schmitz KH, Courneya KS, Matthews C, Demark-Wahnefried W, Galvao DA, Pinto BM, Irwin ML, Wolin KY, Segal RJ, Lucia A, Schneider CM, von Gruenigen VE, Schwartz AL; American College of Sports Medicine. American College of Sports Medicine roundtable on exercise guidelines for cancer survivors. Med Sci Sports Exerc. 2010 Jul;42(7):1409-26. doi: 10.1249/MSS.0b013e3181e0c112.

  PMID: 20559064 BACKGROUND

MeSH Terms

Conditions

Neoplasms; Motor Activity

Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Behavior

Limitations and Caveats

The small sample size (n=45) limits generalizability. All participants came from one hospital's Day Care Unit in northern Athens, introducing selection bias. The single 20-minute session and no follow-up restrict conclusions on long-term effects. Including various cancer types without stratified analysis adds heterogeneity. No control group and reliance on self-reports may bias results. Many declined participation due to fatigue or unfamiliarity with exercise.

Results Point of Contact

• Title: Christine Mavrogiannopoulou, Physiotherapist and Study coordinator
• Organization: General Oncology Hospital of Kifissia "Agioi Anargyroi"

x.mavrogiannopoulou@gmail.com

+30 6941464095

Publication Agreements

• PI is Sponsor Employee: No
• Restrictive Agreement: No

Study Design

• Study Type: interventional
• Phase: not applicable
• Allocation: NA
• Masking: NONE
• Purpose: SUPPORTIVE CARE
• Intervention Model: SINGLE GROUP
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: SPONSOR INVESTIGATOR
• PI Title: Clinical Researcher

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: March 24, 2025
• First Posted: April 24, 2025
• Study Start: December 2, 2024
• Primary Completion: March 24, 2025
• Study Completion: March 24, 2025
• Last Updated: August 1, 2025
• Results First Posted: August 1, 2025

Record last verified: 2025-07

Data Sharing

• IPD Sharing: Will not share

Locations

GR (1)