Baduanjin Exercise on Upper Limb Dysfunction Among Breast Cancer Survivors

NCT07522593 | Not Yet Recruiting DMC

• 1 other identifier: ETH2025-0586
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 76
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

Brief Summary

The goal of this clinical trial is to learn if Baduanjin exercise could be adopted by breast cancer survivors and improve their upper limb dysfunction. The main questions it aims to answer are:

• Does Baduanjin exercise improve upper limb dysfunction among breast cancer survivors?
• What problems or adverse events do participants have if they adopt Baduanjin exercise to improve upper limb dysfunction? Participants will:
• Adopt Baduanjin exercise following an evidence-based intervention protocol
• Report their exercise frequency, length, and unexpected symptoms
• Receive three times assessment and follow-up every week

Conditions

Breast Cancer Survivor

Keywords

breast cancer survivors; Baduanjin exercise; pilot study; randomised control trail

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (1)

• Upper Limb Dysfunction

  The Disability of Arm, Shoulder, and Hand (DASH) (Chinese version) will assess upper limb dysfunction. The DASH has 30 items, and 5-Likert scale was used to demonstrate the disability of the upper limb (1=not at all, 2= slightly, 3= moderately, 4= quite a bit, 5= extremely), and DASH symptom score = \[(sum of n response)/n-1\] \*25 (n is the number of completed responses)(Hudak et al., 1996). A higher score indicates a greater disability. At least 27 items must be completed for each questionnaire, or it will not be able to calculate a score.

  At enrollment, at the end of the intervention, and eight weeks after the intervention completion

Secondary Outcomes (5)

• Shoulder Range of Motion (ROM)

  At enrollment, at the end of the intervention, and eight weeks after the intervention completion

• Pain

  At enrollment, at the end of the intervention, and eight weeks after the intervention completion

• Sleep Quality

  At enrollment, at the end of the intervention, and eight weeks after the intervention completion

• Depression and Anxiety

  At enrollment, at the end of the intervention, and eight weeks after the intervention completion

• Quality of Life(QoL)

  At enrollment, at the end of the intervention, and eight weeks after the intervention completion

Study Arms (2)

Baduanjin arm

EXPERIMENTAL

Participants in this arm will adopte Baduanjin exercise following the intervention protocol

Behavioral: Baduanjin exercise

Control arm

NO INTERVENTION

Participants in this arm will take their routine activity.

Interventions

Baduanjin exercise BEHAVIORAL

Baduanjin exercise is a low-to-moderate-intensity aerobic mind-body exercise that integrates movement (physical postures), meditation (focused attention), and controlled breathing. When practicing it, people stand in a position and perform eight movements, including 1) Two Hands Hold up the Heavens; 2) drawing the bow to shoot the eagle; 3)separate heaven and earth, 4)wise owl gazes backward or looking back, 5)sway the head and shake the tail, 6)two hands hold the keen to strengthen the kidneys and waist, 7) clench the fists and glare fiercely; 8) bouncing on the toes seven times.

Baduanjin arm

Eligibility Criteria

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

You may qualify if:

• Female, aged ≥ 18 years, diagnosed with non-metastatic unilateral Stage I-IIIa non-metastatic breast cancer, regardless of cancer type;
• Surgeries completed at least two months before enrolment, and completion of radiotherapy and/or chemotherapy, with or without aromatase inhibitor therapy, upon enrolment;
• Experiencing breast cancer treatment-related ULD, which is measured by the Disabilities of the Arm, Shoulder, and Hand (DASH) scale with a score of 20 or above;
• Karnofsky Performance Status Scale (KPS), used to measure a patient's ability to perform daily activities and self-care independently, with a score of 90 or above;
• Ability to read, write, and communicate in Chinese;
• Have a personal cellphone;
• Agree to participate in this study and provide written informed consent.

You may not qualify if:

• Any patient with a history of upper limb surgery, injury (fracture or shoulder dislocation), or other conditions not related to breast cancer treatments;
• With other complications or adverse medical conditions that cannot perform BdjE, such as severe lymphedema, axillary web syndrome, or adhesive capsulitis;
• Undergoing any physiotherapy for ULD or leading regular physical exercises in the previous three months;
• Had skin grafting and autologous myocutaneous flap breast reconstruction;
• Current clinical diagnosis of depression or anxiety, or receipt of active psychological treatment for significant mood or anxiety disorders;
• Currently involved in other clinical studies.

Sponsors & Collaborators

• University of Southern Queensland: lead

Study Sites (1)

Affiliated Hospital of Zunyi Medical University

Zunyi, Guizhou, China

Location

Central Study Contacts

Jinqiu LI

CONTACT

610430499054; jinqiu.li@unisq.edu.au

Study Design

• Study Type: interventional
• Phase: not applicable
• Allocation: RANDOMIZED
• Masking: NONE
• Purpose: SUPPORTIVE CARE
• Intervention Model: PARALLEL
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
• PI Title: Principal Investigator

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: March 30, 2026
• First Posted: April 13, 2026
• Study Start: April 20, 2026
• Primary Completion (Estimated): December 1, 2026
• Study Completion (Estimated): April 1, 2027
• Last Updated: April 13, 2026

Record last verified: 2026-01

Locations

CN (1)