The effects of a physical exercise programme after radical cystectomy for urinary bladder cancer. A pilot randomized controlled trial

• Published in: Clinical rehabilitation Vol. 28; no. 5; pp. 451 - 459
• Main Authors: Porserud, Andrea, Sherif, Amir, Tollbäck, Anna
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: London, England SAGE Publications 01.05.2014; Sage Publications Ltd
• Subjects: Aged; Bladder cancer; Cystectomy - rehabilitation; Exercise; Exercise Therapy - methods; Feasibility Studies; Female; Health status; Hospitals; Humans; Male; Middle Aged; Pilot Projects; Quality of Life; radical cystectomy; Randomized controlled trials; Sweden; Urinary bladder cancer; Urinary Bladder Neoplasms - rehabilitation; Urinary Bladder Neoplasms - surgery; Walking; Sweden; radical cystectomy; exercise; Urinary bladder cancer
• ISSN: 0269-2155; 1477-0873; 1477-0873
• DOI: 10.1177/0269215513506230

Objective: Assessment of feasibility and effects of an exercise training programme in patients following cystectomy due to urinary bladder cancer. Design: Single-blind, pilot, randomized controlled trial. Setting: University hospital, Sweden. Subjects: Eighteen patients (64–78 years), of 89 suitable, cystectomized due to urinary bladder cancer, were randomized after hospital discharge to intervention or control. Interventions: The 12-week exercise programme included group exercise training twice a week and daily walks. The control group received only standardized information at discharge. Main outcome measures: Trial eligibility and compliance to inclusion were registered. Assessments of functional capacity, balance, lower body strength and health-related quality of life (HRQoL) with SF-36. Results: Out of 122 patients 89 were eligible, but 64 did not want to participate/were not invited. Twenty-five patients were included, but 7 dropped out before randomization. Eighteen patients were randomized to intervention or control. Thirteen patients completed the training period. The intervention group increased walking distance more than the control group, 109 m (75–177) compared to 62 m (36–119) (P = 0.013), and role physical domain in SF-36 more than the control group (P = 0.031). Ten patients were evaluated one year postoperatively. The intervention group had continued increasing walking distance, 20 m (19–36), whereas the control group had shortened the distance −15.5 m (−43 to −5) (P = 0.010). Conclusions: A 12-week group exercise training programme was not feasible for most cystectomy patients. However, functional capacity and the role-physical domain in HRQoL increased in the short and long term for patients in the intervention group compared with controls.