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Breast CancerNCT01504789

Part II: Exercise in Hispanic Breast Cancer Survivors

A study testing Baseline Fitness Test, Questionnaires and Individualized Exercise Program in people with Breast Cancer, run by M.D. Anderson Cancer Center at 2 sites in 2 countries.

Active, not recruiting

Under way, not looking for participants. Everyone needed has enrolled. The study is still running.

Official record
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Trial summary

The goal of this research study is to test an exercise program that is designed for Hispanic breast cancer survivors. Researchers want to learn the most effective strategies for promoting exercise. Read more about this study

Who is it for?
Ages 21 years and older, women onlyHealthy volunteers can take part
Conditions the study is for
Breast Cancer
What is being tested?
Baseline Fitness Test, Questionnaires and Individualized Exercise Program
Could I receive a placebo?
No, everyone receives an active treatment
How many people
53 participants
Where
2 sitesin 2 countries
Study dates
7 Feb 2012to 28 Feb 2028
Phase
Interventional
Are there results?
Not yet: the study is under way

Key requirements

Who can take part, as listed by the sponsor. Only the study team can confirm whether you are eligible, so take this list to your doctor.

  • Ages 21 years and older
  • Women only
  • Healthy volunteers accepted
  • Adult, Older adult

Who may be able to join

  • Be Female and be 21 years of age or older. (Pilot Test and PreTest Criteria)
  • Self-reported Mexican-American ( for Mexican-American participants) or Puerto Rican ethnicity. (Pilot Test and PreTest Criteria)
  • History of breast cancer (invasive or ductal carcinoma in situ). (Pilot Test Criteria only)
  • At least 3 months post treatment (surgery, chemotherapy, radiation). (Pilot Test Criteria only)
  • Not meeting current recommended physical activity guidelines. (Pilot Test and PreTest Criteria)
  • Able to read/write in either English or Spanish. (Pilot Test and PreTest Criteria)
Show all 9Show fewer
  • Reside in Harris County, Texas or one of the contiguous counties or metropolitan area of San Juan, Puerto Rico. (Pilot Test and PreTest Criteria)
  • Be able to provide informed consent. (Pilot Test and PreTest Criteria)
  • Be oriented to person, place, and time. (Pilot Test and PreTest Criteria)

Who cannot join

  • Currently receiving Herceptin or non-hormonal treatment for cancer (hormonal treatment is allowed). (Pilot Test and PreTest Criteria)
  • Present with any of American College of Sports Medicine's absolute contraindications to exercise testing: (A recent significant change in the resting ECG suggesting significant ischemia, recent myocardial infarction (within 2 days), or other acute cardiac event; unstable angina; uncontrolled cardiac dysrhythmias causing symptoms or hemodynamic compromise; symptomatic severe aortic stenosis; uncontrolled symptomatic heart failure; acute pulmonary embolus or pulmonary infarction; acute myocarditis or pericarditis; suspected or known dissecting aneurysm acute systemic infection, accompanied by fever, body aches, or swollen lymph glands). ( Pilot Test and PreTest Criteria)

Trial locations and contacts

2 sites in 2 countries.

2 sites in 2 countries

United States1 site
  • University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center

    Houston, Texas, 77030

Other trials in United States

Puerto Rico1 site
  • University of Puerto Rico

    San Juan, 00936

Other trials in Puerto Rico

About this study

The goal of this research study is to test an exercise program that is designed for Hispanic breast cancer survivors. Researchers want to learn the most effective strategies for promoting exercise.

Read the detailed description

Study Summary:

If you are found to be eligible to take part in this study, you will come in for 2 visits to complete fitness testing and questionnaires at the Behavioral Research Treatment Center (BRTC) at MD Anderson. During the week before your first visit to the BRTC, you'll wear an accelerometer at home. An accelerometer is a small device that you wear on your waist during the day. It records how active you are. The accelerometer will be mailed to you or given to you in clinic ahead of time by a staff member. You will bring the accelerometer with you to your first visit to the BRTC. This will be repeated at the end before your follow-up assessment visit. The visits should last about 2 hours and 30 minutes. You will be asked to exercise about 3-5 times every week for 16 weeks at home for at least 30 minutes. You will also be invited to group exercise sessions every month. You should attend at least 2 of these sessions. A family member or friend is invited to attend the group sessions with you. Six (3) months after the follow-up visit, you will complete follow-up questionnaires.

Study Visits:

At the baseline (first) visit, your blood pressure, heart rate, height, and weight will be measured. Your waist and hip will be measured. A tool that measures your skin thickness will be used on the back of your arm, above your hip, and on your thigh. Your arms will be measured by placing your arm in a tool used for measuring arm volume.

You will complete questionnaires about your demographic information (such as your age), medical history, any drugs you may be taking, your current level of physical activity, your quality of life, and your environment and exercise (such as how many people you see exercising daily). The questionnaires should take about 35 minutes to complete. You may complete these questionnaires either when you sign the informed consent form or at your first visit.

Blood (about 1½ tablespoons) will be drawn during your baseline and 4-months visits after you fast (have nothing to eat or drink but water) for 12 hour. These samples will be stored for future testing on biomarkers. Biomarkers are found in the blood and may be related to breast cancer risk.

You will complete fitness tests to measure your strength, flexibility, balance, and aerobic capacity (how effectively you breathe in air while you are exercising).

For the strength tests, you will pull on a bar that is connected to a sensor that shows how much force you are using. You will pull on the bar as hard as you can for 3 seconds. You will have at least 10 seconds of rest between efforts. You will do pulls to measure the strength of your arms, shoulders, and upper body. To measure your hand and forearm muscle strength, you will squeeze and release your hand on a hand tool. To measure your leg strength, you will stand and sit back down in a chair as many times as you can in 30 seconds. You will be shown how to do each of these tests.

For flexibility, you will perform a "sit-and-reach" test and a "stand-and-reach" test. Your hip and lower back flexibility will be measured using a "sit-and-reach" flexibility box. You will sit on the floor with your feet placed on the edge of the box. You will reach forward with your hands as far as possible 3 different times. The farthest reach will measure your lower body flexibility. To measure your upper body flexibility, you will do a "stand and reach" test. You will stand next to a wall with your arm stretched forward. Then you will reach forward as far as possible without your feet lifting off the ground. The distance reached forward will be the measure of your upper body flexibility. Range of motion of your arm will be measured by asking you to lift your arm upward with your thumb pointing up. This will be done on the side and in front of you.

For aerobic testing, you will be asked to walk on a treadmill. Before you exercise, you will have an electrocardiogram (ECG) to check your heart function and your heart rate and blood pressure will be measured. A nose clip and mouthpiece will be put on you. During exercising, you will have an ECG. Your blood pressure will also be measured every few minutes. You will be asked at several times to point to a scale that measures your overall level of effort. You will walk on the treadmill at increasing speeds and inclines (hills) until you reach a point of about 85 percent of your maximum heart rate. At that point, the treadmill will be slowed down and you will be allowed to walk slowly and recover. You can ask to stop the treadmill at any time. The reason for doing this test is to see how your body reacts to hard exercise at an intensity higher than will be recommended for you during the study when you will be exercising on your own. You will be asked to perform a 6-minute walk test as a warm-up. This test measures the distance that you can walk quickly on a flat, hard surface for 6 minutes.

All of the baseline fitness tests will be repeated at the end of the program (at about the 16th week) during a follow-up visit. At the follow-up visit, you will also be asked to complete a feedback questionnaire and you will be interviewed for your feedback on the newsletters. This will help researchers design future research studies. The questionnaire and interview should take about 15 minutes to complete. You will also be asked to answer a Food Questionnaire at the follow-up visit. This questionnaire will include questions about your usual food intake during the last year. It will take about an hour to complete this questionnaire.

Study Groups:

After your baseline fitness tests and questionnaires, you will be randomly assigned (as in the flip of a coin) to 1 of 3 study groups. Groups 1 and 2 will be given an individualized exercise program, have the same amount of contact with research staff, and receive written materials about exercise. The only difference between the groups is that they will be given different written materials. Group 3 will be a "waiting list" group who choose to participate in the exercise program after their 16-week assessment. After 4 months of exercise, they will repeat all the follow-up tests described above, and receive an exercise recommendation and all the intervention materials. You will have an equal chance of being assigned to one of the three groups. You will know if you are in the waiting list group (3) or one of the exercise groups (1 or 2), but if you are in an exercise group you will not know which one.

Exercise Program:

Based on the results of the fitness tests, a specific exercise program for you will be presented to you. The comprehensive program will include aerobic (cardiovascular) training, strength training, and flexibility training to be completed at home. A set of resistance tubes will be given to you to keep and use at home. You will also be given a booklet and DVD video that contain the exercise. If you would like, after the follow-up visit, a long-term suggested exercise program will be given to you.

You will be given an exercise log to keep track of your exercising. You will also be asked to fill out a questionnaire every week that asks about your level of physical activity. The questionnaire should take about 5 minutes to complete. Every month, you will be asked to fill out a questionnaire about any swelling you may have had. This questionnaire should take about 5 minutes to complete. Every month, you will mail your completed questionnaires and exercise logs back to the study staff in postage-paid envelopes that will be provided to you.

Newsletters and Study Contact:

Every 2 weeks, you will receive a newsletter on a different theme related to exercise. One of the newsletters will be about healthy eating. The wording of the material will be different between groups, but the overall theme will be the same. The research staff will call you about every 2 weeks to check that you have received the materials and have sent back whatever materials are due. The phone call should take no more than 15 minutes. However, you can ask research staff any questions about the program at any time using the contact information that will be given to you.

Follow-up Questionnaires:

At 3 months after the follow-up visit, a packet of follow-up questionnaires about your physical activity and quality of life will be mailed to you or given over the phone. The questionnaire packet will be mailed with a postage-paid return envelope. It should take about 10 minutes to complete the questionnaires. The research staff will call you to check that you have received it and encourage you to complete it. If you are coming to MD Anderson for any appointments, you will receive the packet in person instead.

Length of Study:

Your study participation will be over after you complete the follow-up questionnaires. Your study participation may be stopped early if you become injured, if you become ineligible (for example, if you need to have treatment), or if the research staff thinks it is in your best interest.

Conditions
Breast Cancer
Being tested
Baseline Fitness Test, Questionnaires, Individualized Exercise Program, Written Materials
Keywords
Breast Cancer, Breast Cancer Survivors, Exercise, Hispanic, Mexican-American, Puerto Rican, Culturally tailored exercise, Fitness tests, Questionnaires, Surveys, Culturally tailored written material
Medical subject headings
Breast Neoplasms, Motor Activity

What participants receive

What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.

  • Baseline Fitness TestBehavioural

    Complete fitness tests to measure strength, flexibility, balance, and aerobic capacity. All of the baseline fitness tests will be repeated at the end of the program (at about the 16th week) during a follow-up visit.

  • QuestionnairesBehavioural

    Also called Surveys

    At the baseline visit, complete questionnaires about demographic information taking about 35 minutes to complete. At 6 months after the follow-up visit, a packet of follow-up questionnaires about physical activity and quality of life will be mailed or given over the phone. It should take about 10 minutes to complete these questionnaires. Patients also be asked to fill out a questionnaire every week that asks about level of physical activity. The questionnaire should take about 5 minutes to complete.

  • Individualized Exercise ProgramBehavioural

    The exercise programs will be individualized based on results from baseline fitness assessments and individual medical history using ACSM guidelines. For resistance and flexibility exercises each patient will receive an exercise prescription and instructional session prior to beginning the program. Invitation extended to attend monthly Group Exercise sessions with a family member. Resistance tubes, pedometer, exercise book, and video issued for use at home.

  • Written MaterialsBehavioural

    Either culturally adapted AI materials or non-culturally intervention materials will be mailed to patients every 2 weeks. The 7 themed sessions are: Getting Started;Goal Setting;Effective Energy Balance;Getting Confident;Uncovering Barriers;Lapsing, Relapsing, Collapsing;and Continuing to be Active.

Study groups in NCT01504789
Study groupRoleWhat they receive
Cultural Related Material GroupExperimentalPatients will be randomized to receive either culturally adapted AI materials or non-culturally adapted SI materials. Intervention materials will be mailed to patients every 2 weeks. Based on the results of the fitness tests, a specific exercise program will be presented. The research staff will call about every 2 weeks to check that materials were received and have been sent back whatever materials are due. The phone call should take no more than 15 minutes. At 6 months after the follow-up visit, a packet of follow-up questionnaires about physical activity and quality of life will be mailed or given over the phone. The questionnaire packet will be mailed with a postage-paid return envelope. It should take about 10 minutes to complete the questionnaires.
Receives: Behavioral: Baseline Fitness Test; Behavioral: Questionnaires; Behavioral: Individualized Exercise Program; Behavioral: Written Materials
Non-Cultural Related Material GroupExperimentalPatients will be randomized to receive either culturally adapted AI materials or non-culturally adapted SI materials. Intervention materials will be mailed to patients every 2 weeks. Based on the results of the fitness tests, a specific exercise program will be presented. The research staff will call about every 2 weeks to check that materials were received and have been sent back whatever materials are due. The phone call should take no more than 15 minutes. At 6 months after the follow-up visit, a packet of follow-up questionnaires about physical activity and quality of life will be mailed or given over the phone. The questionnaire packet will be mailed with a postage-paid return envelope. It should take about 10 minutes to complete the questionnaires.
Receives: Behavioral: Baseline Fitness Test; Behavioral: Questionnaires; Behavioral: Individualized Exercise Program; Behavioral: Written Materials
Waitlist GroupActive comparatorPatients may choose to participate in the exercise program after 16-week assessment. After 4 months of exercise, all the follow-up tests repeated. Exercise recommendation then given, and all of the intervention materials.
Receives: Behavioral: Baseline Fitness Test; Behavioral: Questionnaires

What is being measured

The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.

  1. Changes in Exercise Behavior and Energy Expenditure

    Exercise behavior measured as frequency of exercise as assessed by the IPAQ score. Multiple linear regression used to test for differences in the changes between groups adjusting for relevant covariates, such as baseline activity level (IPAQ score) and BMI. Linear mixed model analysis also performed for weekly change in exercise behavior. The continuous score (MET minutes/week) used as primary physical activity outcome, measured at baseline and follow-up. Compliance measured using exercise logs, which will record resistance exercise and pedometer steps.

    Measured: 6 months

Secondary outcomes (1)
  1. Effects of Behavioral Exercise Intervention on Biological Markers

    Blood (about 1½ tablespoons) collected at baseline and 4 months visits following a 12-hour fast. Blood will be processed and stored for later biomarker analysis - body adiposity, sex hormone binding globulin, estradiol, adipokines (adiponectin, leptin, resistin), cytokines (TNF, CRP, IL-6).

    Measured: 16 weeks

Timeline

From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.

  1. First posted5 Jan 2012 (estimated)
  2. Study start7 Feb 2012
  3. Primary completion28 Feb 2028 (estimated)
  4. Study completion28 Feb 2028 (estimated)

Resources

More details

For doctors and researchers: how the study is designed, who runs it, and its registry IDs.

Study design
Study type
Interventional
Phase
Phase N/A
Primary purpose
Prevention
Allocation
Randomised
Intervention model
Parallel groups
Masking
Single blind
Who is masked
Participant
Enrolment
53 participants (actual)
IDs, dates and publications
ClinicalTrials.gov ID
NCT01504789
Sponsor's protocol ID
2011-0201
Other IDs
U54, NCI-2015-01759
Status last verified
Oct 2025
First submitted
28 Dec 2011
Last updated
15 Jun 2026
Results posted
No
Data monitoring committee
No
FDA-regulated drug
No
FDA-regulated device
No

Publications

  • Palacios C, Daniel CR, Tirado-Gomez M, Gonzalez-Mercado V, Vallejo L, Lozada J, Ortiz A, Hughes DC, Basen-Engquist K. Dietary Patterns in Puerto Rican and Mexican-American Breast Cancer Survivors: A Pilot Study. J Immigr Minor Health. 2017 Apr;19(2):341-348. doi: 10.1007/s10903-016-0398-y.

    PubMed 26984227

Questions about this trial

What is this clinical trial studying?

A study testing Baseline Fitness Test, Questionnaires and Individualized Exercise Program in people with Breast Cancer, run by M.D. Anderson Cancer Center at 2 sites in 2 countries.

The full registered description is in the About this study section and the official record.

Who may be eligible to take part?

The sponsor lists 9 inclusion and 2 exclusion criteria. Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening, so read the full criteria and contact a listed site.

Is this clinical trial currently recruiting?

The record says: under way, not looking for participants, as of the sponsor's last update on 15 Jun 2026. Status can change between updates, so confirm with the study contact before making plans.

Where is the study taking place?

The record lists 2 sites in United States, Puerto Rico. Whether a site is taking part right now should be confirmed with that site. See every site.

What are the possible benefits and risks?

They depend on the study and the treatment, and no study can promise a benefit. The study team explains the known risks during informed consent, before anyone joins; the record itself does not list them.

Are results available for this study?

This study is still under way. Results are not available in the source record yet.

How can a doctor refer a patient or contact the research team?

The record lists no contact. The official record names the sponsor, who can be asked directly. AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals.

What does the primary outcome measure?

Changes in Exercise Behavior and Energy Expenditure (time frame: 6 months). It is what the study was designed to measure, not a finding.

Where can I read the original study information?

On the ClinicalTrials.gov record for NCT01504789, which also lists 1 linked publication.

Does a listing mean the treatment is approved or proven to work?

No. A listing means the study is registered. It does not show that the treatment is safe, works, or is approved by a regulator.

How often is this information updated?

AzTrials copies changed records from ClinicalTrials.gov every night and reloads the whole registry every week. The sponsor last updated this record on 15 Jun 2026.

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