University Children's Hospital Basel (UKBB)
Basel, 4056, Switzerland
Completed
NCT Number: NCT02730767
SURfit - A Physical Activity Intervention for Childhood Cancer Survivors
Exercise can play a major role to mitigate or even prevent late effects in cancer survivors, such as cardiovascular disease, obesity, osteoporosis, fatigue, depression, reduced quality of life, mental health and physical performance.
The objective of this study is to assess the effect of an exercise program of 1 year on cardiovascular health, obesity and diabetes, osteoporosis, physical fitness, mental health and quality of life in childhood cancer survivors. The investigators will recruit childhood cancer survivors aged 16 years and above from three Swiss paediatric oncology clinics and randomize them into an intervention and a control group. The intervention group will be asked to increase physical activity for 1 year by at least 2.5 hours of intense physical activity weekly. Regular feedback will be given via a step counter, an online activity diary, and by the centre staff. The control group participants will keep their activity level constant. All participants will be seen after 3, 6 and 12 months to assess health and quality of life parameters over one year. After 1 year, the control group is offered to receive the same intervention to profit as well from an active lifestyle.
If the program shows to be effective, a complete package will become available to interested centres treating paediatric cancer patients in Switzerland to promote exercise in all survivors. The program will allow clinicians without previous experience in exercise counselling to improve the care of their patients.
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Conditions
Age range
16 year and older
Sex eligibility
All sexes
Study type
Interventional
Phase
Not applicable
Primary location
Who can participate
Healthy volunteers accepted: No
Only the study team can determine whether someone qualifies for participation.
Inclusion criteria
- Registered in the Swiss Childhood Cancer Registry.
- Age at cancer diagnosis <16 years.
- Diagnosed with a cancer classifiable within the International Classification of Childhood Cancer (ICCC-3) or diagnosed with a Langerhans Cell Histiocytosis.
- Diagnosed and/or treated at the University Children's Hospital Basel, Cantonal Hospital of Aarau and/or Cantonal Hospital of Lucerne.
- Survived ≥5 years since primary cancer diagnosis or any subsequent cancer event (relapse or further cancer diagnoses)
- Age at the time of the study ≥16 years
- Informed Consent as documented by signature
Exclusion criteria
- Participation in another clinical trial <4 weeks prior to baseline assessment (eventually later re-enrolment)
- Contradiction to one of the inclusion criteria mentioned above
- Inability to exercise
- Exercise potentially harmful
- Women who are pregnant or breast feeding
- Women who intend to become pregnant during the course of the study
- Instable clinical condition (eventually later re-enrolment)
- Under treatment for relapse or further cancer diagnoses
- Cardiac arrhythmias under exercise (during baseline assessment or by history)
- Diagnosis of diabetes <3 months ago (eventually re-enrolment after 3 months if diabetes is under good control)
- Detection of a clinical condition that needs immediate treatment during baseline assessments (eventually re-enrolment after 3 months if in stable clinical condition)
- Planned relevant surgeries for the next 12 months
- Major musculoskeletal injuries, fractures <2 months ago (eventually later re-enrolment)
- Recent change in medication that interfere with the parameters of the CVD risk score (primary outcome) <1 month ago (eventually later re-enrolment)
- >4 hours of reported vigorous activities per week
- Inability to follow the procedures and understand the intervention and assessments of the study e.g. due to cognitive impairment, language problems, psychological disorders etc.
Treatment and study plan
partially supervised exercise intervention
BehavioralOther names: physical activity intervention
Primary outcomes
-
Composite cardiovascular risk score [z-score]
Time frame: 12 months
summarized mean z-score of waist circumference, blood pressure, HOMA-IR, inverted high density lipoprotein cholesterol, triglycerides and cardiorespiratory fitness
Secondary outcomes
-
Waist circumference [cm]
Time frame: 3, 6, and 12 months
-
Systolic and diastolic blood pressure [mmHg]
Time frame: 3, 6, and 12 months
-
Homeostasis Model Assessment Insulin Resistance (HOMA-IR)
Time frame: 6 and 12 months
calculated from insulin and glucose
-
HbA1C [mmol/mol]
Time frame: 6 and 12 months
-
Insulin resistance from response to oral glucose tolerance test (oGTT)
Time frame: 12 months
Assessment of fasting glucose [mmol/l] and insulin [mIU/l] and glucose 2 hours after drinking of a glucose solution
-
Inverted high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL) [mmol/l]
Time frame: 6 and 12 months
-
Low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL) [mmol/l]
Time frame: 6 and 12 months
-
Total cholesterol [mmol/l]
Time frame: 6 and 12 months
-
Triglycerides [mmol/l]
Time frame: 6 and 12 months
-
Body Mass Index (BMI) [z-score]
Time frame: 3, 6, and 12 months
Calculated from height and weight
-
Absolute [kg] and relative [%] body fat mass
Time frame: 3, 6, and 12 months
Assessed with two methods: skinfold measurement (3, 6, and 12 months) and dual x-ray absorptiometry (DXA, 12 months only).
-
Areal bone mineral density [g/cm2 and z-scores]
Time frame: 12 months
Bone mineral density for total body, lumbar spine, and femoral neck assessed with dual x-ray absorptiometry (DXA)
-
Bone mineral content [g/cm and z-scores]
Time frame: 12 months
Bone mineral content for total body, lumbar spine, and femoral neck assessed with dual x-ray absorptiometry (DXA)
-
Total cross sectional bone area [mm2 and z-scores]
Time frame: 12 months
Cross sectional area of the distal and proximal sites of radius and tibia assessed with peripheral quantitative computer tomography (pQCT)
-
Cortical cross sectional bone area [mm2 and z-scores]
Time frame: 12 months
Cross sectional area of the proximal site of radius and tibia assessed with peripheral quantitative computer tomography (pQCT)
-
Total and trabecular bone mineral density [g/cm3 and z-scores]
Time frame: 12 months
Bone mineral density of the distal site of radius and tibia assessed with peripheral quantitative computer tomography (pQCT)
-
Cortical bone mineral density [g/cm3 and z-scores]
Time frame: 12 months
Bone mineral density of the proximal site of radius and tibia assessed with peripheral quantitative computer tomography (pQCT)
-
Muscle cross-sectional area [cm2 and z-scores]
Time frame: 12 months
Muscle cross-sectional area of the proximal site of radius and tibia assessed with peripheral quantitative computer tomography (pQCT)
-
Peak oxygen uptake (VO2max) [ml/(kg*min) and % predicted]
Time frame: 6 and 12 months
Assessed with maximal spiroergometry test
-
Peak performance [watt/kg and % predicted]
Time frame: 6 and 12 months
Assessed with maximal spiroergometry test
-
Heart rate recovery [delta beats/min]
Time frame: 6 and 12 months
Assessed at the end of the maximal spiroergometry test: delta beats/min between peak heart rate and heart rate 1 minute post exercise.
-
Hand grip strength in the left and right hand [kg]
Time frame: 6 and 12 months
Assessed with a hydrolic hand grip dynamometer.
-
Leg strength and endurance [repetitions/min]
Time frame: 6 and 12 months
Assessed with the 1 minute sit-to-stand test
-
Total physical activity [counts/min]
Time frame: 6 and 12 months
Assessed by accelerometer
-
Moderate to vigorous physical activities [minutes/day]
Time frame: 6 and 12 months
Assessed by accelerometer
-
High impact activities with ground forces >3.9 G [n/day]
Time frame: 6 and 12 month
Assessed by accelerometer
-
Sedentary behaviour [minutes/day]
Time frame: 6 and 12 months
Assessed by accelerometer
-
Number of steps per day [steps/day]
Time frame: 6 and 12 months
Assessed by accelerometer
-
Health related quality of life [T-score with mean=50, standard deviation=10 and range=0-100]
Time frame: 6 and 12 months
Health related quality of life assessed by the self-reported questionnaire short form 36 (SF-36).
-
Psychological distress [T-score with mean=50, standard deviation=10 and range=0-100]
Time frame: 6 and 12 months
Psychological distress assessed by the self-reported questionnaire Brief Symptom Inventory (BSI).
-
Fatigue on a visual analogue scale (VAS) [mm]
Time frame: 3, 6 and 12 months
-
Fatigue
Time frame: 3, 6 and 12 months
Fatigue assessed with the self-reported questionnaire Checklist of Individual Strength (CIS).
-
Number of adverse events and serious adverse events [n]
Time frame: 3, 6 and 12 months
Number of participants with adverse events and exercise related complications categorized into seriousness of the event (adverse event [AE] or severe adverse event [SAE]).
-
Proportion of aimed physical activity reached [%]
Time frame: 12 months
Only intervention participants: compliance with intervention
-
Number of weeks where physical activity aim was reached [n/year]
Time frame: 12 months
Only intervention participants: compliance with intervention
-
Number of missing days in the online diary [n/year]
Time frame: 12 months
Only intervention participants: compliance with intervention
Sponsors and collaborators
Lead sponsor
University of Zurich
Other
Collaborators
- University Children's Hospital Basel
Registry information
Official study title
Effects of a 1-year Partially Supervised Exercise Program in Childhood Cancer Survivors - a Randomized Controlled Trial
Acronym: SURfit
Important dates
- Study start
- 2015
- Primary completion
- 2019
- Study completion
- 2019
- First posted
- Apr 6, 2016
- Registry last updated
- Apr 4, 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.