Effects of the ACTIVity And TEchnology (ACTIVATE) intervention on health-related quality of life and fatigue outcomes in breast cancer survivors
Mené sur 83 patientes ayant survécu à un cancer du sein de stade I à III, cet essai randomisé évalue l'intérêt, du point de vue de l'augmentation de l'activité physique et de la diminution des comportements sédentaires, d'une intervention destinée à améliorer la qualité de vie et à réduire la fatigue
Background : The ACTIVATE Trial examined the efficacy of a wearable-based intervention to increase physical activity and reduce sedentary behaviour in breast cancer survivors. This paper examines the effects of the intervention on health-related quality of life (HRQoL) and fatigue at 12 weeks (T2; end of intervention) and 24 weeks (T3; follow-up). Methods : Inactive and postmenopausal women who had completed primary treatment for stage I-III breast cancer were randomized to intervention or waitlist control. Physical activity and sedentary behaviour were measured by Actigraph® and activPALTM accelerometers at baseline (T1), end of the intervention (T2), and 12 weeks follow up (T3). HRQoL and fatigue were measured using the Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy-Breast (FACT-B) and the Functional Assessment of Chronic Illness Therapy-Fatigue (FACIT-Fatigue). Primary intervention effects were evaluated comparing intervention and waitlist group at T2 using repeated measures mixed effects models. Results : Overall, 83 women were randomized and trial retention was high (94%). A 4.6-point difference in fatigue score was observed between groups at T2 (95% CI: 1.3, 7.8) indicating improvement in fatigue profiles in the intervention group. In within groups analyses the intervention group reported a 5.1-point increase in fatigue from baseline to T2 (95% CI: 2.0, 8.2) and a 3.3-point increase from baseline to T3 (95% CI: 0.1, 6.41). Conclusions : Despite small improvements in fatigue profiles, no effects on HRQoL were observed. While the ACTIVATE Trial was associated with improvements in physical activity and sedentary behaviour, more intensive or longer duration interventions may be needed to facilitate changes in HRQoL.