Effects of aerobic exercise on neurocognitive function in postmenopausal women receiving endocrine therapy for breast cancer: The Exercise Program in Cancer and Cognition randomized controlled trial
Mené sur 153 patientes ménopausées atteintes d'un cancer du sein et recevant un traitement endocrinien (âge moyen : 62 ans), cet essai randomisé évalue l'intérêt d'exercices aérobiques d'intensité modérée pour améliorer leurs fonctions neurocognitives
Objective: The Exercise Program in Cancer and Cognition Study was a randomized controlled trial designed to determine whether 6 months of moderate-intensity aerobic exercise improves neurocognitive function in women with breast cancer (BC) receiving endocrine therapy (ET). Methods: Postmenopausal women with hormone receptor+, early-stage BC, within two years post-primary therapy were randomized to the exercise intervention (six months, ≥150 min of moderate-intensity aerobic exercise/week) or usual care control condition. Outcomes were assessed at pre-randomization and after intervention completion. Groups were compared using linear mixed-effects modeling. Results: Participants (N = 153) were = 62.09 ± 8.27 years old, with stage I BC (64.1%) and a median of 4.7 months post-diagnosis. We found a group-by-time interaction (p = 0.041) and a trend for the main effect of time (p = 0.11) for processing speed with improved performance in the exercise group and no change in the controls. Similar main effects of time were observed for learning and memory (p = 0.024) and working memory (p = 0.01). Better intervention adherence was associated with improved processing speed (p = 0.017). Conclusions: Six months of moderate-intensity aerobic exercise improves processing speed in postmenopausal women with BC receiving ET who initiate exercise within 2 years of completing primary therapy (surgery +/− chemotherapy). This is the first large-scale study to examine the effects of aerobic exercise on neurocognitive function in women with BC. Additional research is needed to address the long-term effects of aerobic exercise on cognitive function.
Psycho-Oncology 2024