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NCT Number: NCT06052488

Strength After Breast Cancer

The goal of this study is to explore whether a group exercise program called Strength After Breast Cancer can be delivered in an outpatient physical therapy clinic to improve physical function among women after treatment for breast cancer.

The main questions this study aims to answer are:

* Can the Strength After Breast Cancer program and the associated outcome battery be successfully delivered in an outpatient physical therapy clinic at Massachusetts General Hospital and do participants find the program practical? * What are the barriers to and facilitators of delivering the group exercise program in a clinical setting and what changes need to be made to the program to improve sustainability and to facilitate implementation at other clinical sites?

Participants will complete study questionnaires before and after engaging in the group exercise program and they will participate in interviews following participation in the program.

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Key information

Conditions

Breast Cancer Breast Diseases Breast Neoplasms Neoplasms Neoplasms by Site Skin Diseases Skin and Connective Tissue Diseases

Age range

18 year and older

Sex eligibility

Female

Study type

Interventional

Phase

Not applicable

Primary location

MGH Institute of Health Professions

Boston, Massachusetts, 02129, United States

Location status: Recruiting

Location contact

Stephen Wechsler, DPT, PhD

CONTACT

[email protected]

774-217-3221

About this study

The goal of this single arm feasibility study of the Strength After Breast Cancer (SABC) evidence-based group exercise intervention for women after treatment for breast cancer is to determine if investigators can feasibly deliver the program out of the outpatient physical therapy clinic at Massachusetts General Hospital Waltham.

  • Following a one-on-one physical therapy evaluation, the four-session SABC program provides a group-based but individualized exercise plan and encourages engagement in independent home-based exercises to improve physical function. The SABC program has previously been found to be safe and led to improvements in physical function among women after treatment for breast cancer. Therefore, the focus of this study is to explore clinical implementation barriers, facilitators, and necessary program adaptations to enhance sustainability and facilitate implementation at other clinical sites.

Study procedures include screening for eligibility, in-clinic visits, questionnaires, and a semi-structured interview.

Participation in this research study is expected to last up to 5 months. It is expected that up to 40 people will take part in this research study.

This is an unfunded study.

Who can participate

Healthy volunteers accepted: No

Only the study team can determine whether someone qualifies for participation.

Inclusion criteria

  • ≥18 years of age
  • Diagnosed with Stage I-III breast cancer, having completed primary cancer treatment (e.g., surgery, chemotherapy, radiation therapy); hormonal therapies and adjuvant targeted therapies will be permitted

Exclusion criteria

  • Any injury or medical condition that would prohibit being able to safely perform exercise as indicated by the Physical Activity Readiness Questionnaire (i.e., atrial fibrillation, chest pain or angina, uncontrolled high blood pressure or hypertension, loss of balance due to dizziness in the past 12 months, or loss of consciousness in the past 12 months).
  • Non-English speaking

Treatment and study plan

Strength After Breast Cancer

Behavioral

Individual physical therapy evaluation and 4 group-based exercise sessions led by a licensed physical therapist

Primary outcomes

  1. Screening Rate

    Time frame: At screening

    Number patients screened / Number patients identified as potentially eligible. Screening rate of at least 75% will indicate feasibility.

  2. Eligibility Rate

    Time frame: At screening

    Number patients screening eligible / Number screened. Eligibility rate of at least 75% will indicate feasibility.

  3. Enrollment Rate

    Time frame: At screening

    Number participants enrolled / Number screened positive & eligible. A rate of at least 75% will indicate feasibility.

  4. Program completion rate

    Time frame: Up to 2 months

    Number participants completing 4 sessions of the SABC intervention / Number of participants enrolled. For this study, the investigators will consider it feasible if 75% of participants complete all 4 sessions.

  5. Intervention session completion rate

    Time frame: Up to 2 months

    Number of completed sessions per participant. For this study, the investigators will consider it feasible if the mean number of sessions completed per participant is ≥ 3.

  6. Assessment completion rate

    Time frame: Up to 5 months

    Number participants completing each of the 4 study assessments / Number of participants enrolled. For this study, an assessment completion rate of 75% will indicate feasibility.

Secondary outcomes

  1. Participant Satisfaction

    Time frame: Up to 2 months

    Assessed by the post-program satisfaction survey which is a 7-item survey that is rated on a 5-point Likert scale; total score range 7-35 (higher score indicates greater satisfaction). Any item on the Satisfaction survey that generates a mean score of < 4 will trigger consideration of modification to the SABC program.

  2. Exercise Self-Efficacy

    Time frame: Up to 5 months

    Assessed with the Self-Efficacy with Exercise scale which consists of nine potential exercise barriers and asks the individual to rate their confidence on a 0 (not confident) - 10 (very confident) scale that they could exercise for twenty minutes, three times per week, given each barrier (total score range 0-90; maximum score of 90 indicates highest exercise self-efficacy).

  3. Physical Activity Level

    Time frame: Up to 5 months

    Assessed using the International Physical Activity Questionnaire Long Form to assess duration and frequency of physical activity in the last seven days in domains of: job-related, transportation, housework/house maintenance/caring for family, recreation/sport/leisure-time, and time spent sitting.

  4. Quality of Life: Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy - General

    Time frame: Up to 5 months

    Assessed using the Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy - General (FACT-G) (28 items), which measures health-related quality of life covering four domains of well-being (physical, social/family, emotional, functional). This measure is included in and will be assessed as part of The Functional Assessment of Chronic Illness Therapy - Fatigue (FACIT-F). Total score range for FACT-G is 0-108 with higher scores indicating greater quality of life.

  5. Cancer-Related Fatigue: Functional Assessment of Chronic Illness Treatment - Fatigue, Fatigue subscale

    Time frame: Up to 5 months

    Assessed using the Functional Assessment of Chronic Illness Treatment - Fatigue (FACIT-F), 13 item fatigue subscale. Total score for 13-item fatigue subscale is 0-52 with higher score indicating worse fatigue.

Study contacts

Contact information is provided by the study sponsor or research team.

Kathleen Lyons, ScD, OTR/L

CONTACT

[email protected]

Stephen Wechsler, DPT, PhD

CONTACT

[email protected]

774-217-3221

Sponsors and collaborators

Lead sponsor

MGH Institute of Health Professions

Other

Registry information

Official study title

Strength After Breast Cancer: Clinical Implementation of an Evidence-based Group Exercise Intervention for Breast Cancer Survivors

Acronym: SABC

Important dates

Study start
2024
Primary completion
2026
Study completion
2027
First posted
Sep 25, 2023
Registry last updated
Oct 20, 2025

OpenTrials presents study information sourced from ClinicalTrials.gov. The official registry record should be consulted for the latest information.

View the official ClinicalTrials.gov record (opens in a new tab)

This listing is for discovery and informational purposes only. It is not medical advice, does not guarantee that a study is recruiting, and does not determine eligibility. Contact the study team and a qualified healthcare professional when considering participation.

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