Preoperative HIIT in Elderly Cancer Patients

High intensity interval training (HIIT) has been shown to achieve similar and in some studies better improvements in aerobic fitness versus more traditional endurance based exercise over the same time period. HIIT has also been shown to produce these improvements over a shorter timescale than other methods, in the region of 2-6 weeks. One widely reported barrier to exercise is time availability, HIIT training may be a favorable option to increase fitness as the total time spent exercising is significantly less than other methods. HIIT induces improvements in cardiovascular parameters in healthy elderly subjects, investigators aim to investigate whether these improvements can be matched in patients with cancer and further elucidate the mechanisms behind improvements seen with this type of training.

Inclusion criteria

• Aged over 65 years (no upper age limit).
• Histologically proven, radiologically or direct visualisation leading to high clinical suspicion of cancer.
• Sufficient mobility to be able to exercise on a static exercise bike.
• Ability to give informed consent.
• Ability to travel to RDH to complete the HIIT sessions (may also rely upon dependents/relatives to provide transport).

Exclusion criteria

• Adjuvant systemic chemotherapy / radiotherapy treatment for this cancer. Participants with a significant past medical history of:
• Myocardial infarction (within last 6 months)
• Unstable Angina
• Heart failure (NYHA class III/IV)
• Uncontrolled Hypertension (BP>160/100)
• Previous stroke/TIA
• Severe respiratory disease inc. known pulmonary hypertension(>25 mmHg), Forced Expiratory Volume in 1 second <1.5l.
• Brittle asthma / exercise induced asthma
• Known cerebral aneurysm.
• Inclusion in a recent (within 3 months) study which included any form of exercise, taking a drug or ionising radiation.