PERFECT Study

Rationale:

Patients after esophageal cancer surgery are often fatigued and have a decreased health-related quality of life and physical functioning in the short- and long-term. Exercise training interventions have been shown to effectively improve health-related quality of life in patients with various types of cancer. So far, comparable evidence for patients with esophageal cancer is lacking.



Primary objective:

- To investigate whether a 12-week exercise intervention increases HRQoL in patients after curatively intended EC surgery compared to a usual care control group.


Secondary Objectives:

- To investigate whether a 12-week exercise intervention improves fatigue, physical activity, physical fitness, functional wellbeing and symptoms, esophagus-specific QoL, anxiety and depression, diet, sleep quality, body composition and work ability.

- To explore whether disease recurrence is lower and overall survival is higher in the exercise group than in the control group.



Study design:

Randomized controlled clinical study.



Study population:

150 esophageal cancer patients who have undergone surgery with curative intent.



Intervention:

Participants in the intervention group will participate in a 12-week supervised combined endurance and resistance training program. Participants in the control group will receive usual care.

Outcome:

Outcomes will be assessed immediately after ending the intervention (12 weeks; short-term) and 24 weeks post-baseline (long-term).

We hypothesize that physical exercise following esophageal cancer surgery will improve health-related quality of life.

Baseline, 12 weeks and 24 weeks after inclusion.

1. Intervention group – patients in this group will participate in a 12-week supervised combined endurance and resistance training program;

2. Control group – usual care.