Kirsten Nyrop, PhD, UNC Lineberger member and assistant professor in the UNC School of Medicine Division of Hematology/Oncology, and Hyman B. Muss, director of the UNC Lineberger Geriatric Oncology program and the Mary Jones Hudson Distinguished Professor in Geriatric Oncology at the UNC School of Medicine, led a study of a home-based walking program to reduce side effects in certain breast cancer survivors.
The study, “Randomized Controlled Trial of a Home-Based Walking Program to Reduce Moderate to Severe Aromatase Inhibitor-Associated Arthralgia in Breast Cancer Survivors,” was published in The Oncologist. In the phase II clinical trial, researchers evaluated the impact of a six-week, home-based, self-directed walking program on a commonly reported side effect of aromatase inhibitors. Researchers report that for postmenopausal women, most tumors are hormone-positive breast cancer, and guidelines recommend this treatment.
In their study of 62 women, they found that women who participated in the home-based walking program had lower stiffness, less difficulty with the activities of daily living, and had less perceived helplessness in managing joint symptoms after six weeks. Six months later, they found that women in this group were walking less, but still saw benefits in terms of reduced stiffness and continued improvements in managing the activities of daily life.
To read the full study, click here.