CancerEXCELNCT06960291
Sustainable Implementation of the EXCEL Exercise Oncology Program Across Canada
A study testing Group Exercise Classes in people with Cancer and Prostate Cancers, run by University of Calgary at 5 sites in Canada.
Trial summary
EXCEL will provide online and, where feasible, in-person exercise programs to individuals living with and beyond cancer (ILWBC). Research has shown that targeted programs that include tailored exercise prescriptions are more successful in helping individuals with chronic disease to incorporate physical activity and… Read more about this study
- Who is it for?
- Ages 18 years and older
- Conditions the study is for
- Cancer, Prostate Cancers, Breast Cancers
- What is being tested?
- Group Exercise Classes
- Type of treatment
- Lifestyle or therapy programme
- Could I receive a placebo?
- No, everyone receives an active treatment
- How many people
- 740 participants
- Where
- 5 sitesCanada
- Study dates
- 11 Mar 2025to 30 Nov 2026
- 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 18 years and older
- All sexes
- No healthy volunteers
- Adult, Older adult
Who may be able to join
- have or had a diagnosis of cancer;
- be 18 years or older;
- be able to participate in low-intensity levels of activity, at minimum;
- be pretreatment, or receiving active cancer treatment (i.e., surgery, systemic therapy and radiation therapy), have received cancer treatment within the past 3 years, or if beyond 3 years since treatment completion, have a referral from their healthcare team indicating they have side effects from cancer treatment or the cancer itself, that could be improved or managed with exercise;
- be able to provide informed written consent in English or French
Who cannot join
- does not or did not have a cancer diagnosis
- is under the age of 18
- is unable to participate in mild exercise, at minimum
- is not pretreatment, or receiving active cancer treatment (i.e., surgery, systemic therapy and radiation therapy), has not received cancer treatment within the past 3 years, or if beyond 3 years since treatment completion, doesn't have side effects from cancer treatment or the cancer itself, that could be improved or managed with exercise
- unable to read/write in English
- for online programs, does not have internet or computer access
Trial locations and contacts
5 sites in 1 country. Contact the study team or a site near you to ask about taking part.
5 sites in 1 country
Canada5 sites, 5 recruiting
- Recruiting
University of Calgary
Calgary, Alberta, T2N1N4
Julianna Dreger, 403-210-8482, jdreger@ucalgary.ca
Nicole Culos-Reed, PhD
- Recruiting
Nova Scotia Health Authority
Halifax, Nova Scotia, B3H 4R2
Tom Christensen, 902-473-2035, excancer@nshealth.ca
Melanie Keats, PhD
- Recruiting
Centre hospitalier de l'Université de Montréal
Montreal, Quebec, H2X 0A9
Alexia Piché, 5148908000, alexia.piche.chum@ssss.gouv.qc.ca
Isabelle Doré, PhD
- Recruiting
University of Toronto
Toronto, Ontario, M5S 1A1
Daniel Sibley, 403-210-8482, excel.ontario@utoronto.ca
Daniel Santa Mina, PhD
- Recruiting
University of British Columbia
Vancouver, British Columbia, V6T 1Z7
Carole Yin, 604-827-1914, exercise.research@ubc.ca
Kristin Campbell, PhD
About this study
EXCEL will provide online and, where feasible, in-person exercise programs to individuals living with and beyond cancer (ILWBC). Research has shown that targeted programs that include tailored exercise prescriptions are more successful in helping individuals with chronic disease to incorporate physical activity and exercise into their daily routines. While ILWBC are advised by healthcare professionals (HCPs) to engage in exercise, there is a lack of cancer-specific exercise programs and cancer-trained exercise specialists in Canada, outside of the research setting. Considering the negative impact cancer and its treatments have on fitness and physical activity levels, community-based efforts towards improving access, uptake and maintenance of exercise programming are needed.
This study will evaluate the benefits of a community-based or online EXCEL exercise program for people living with and beyond cancer across Canada, using a streamlined intake process compared to the original EXCEL Study (HREBA.CC-20-0098, NCT04478851). This 8 to 12-week program (intervention) will be delivered in-person or over virtual platform. It includes twice weekly supervised exercise classes.
Read the detailed description
Over the past 4.5 years, the EXCEL Study (HREBA.CC-20-0098, NCT04478851) has been implemented across Canada and has recruited over 1500 individuals living with and beyond cancer. This updated study will streamline the program to essential baseline screening and testing (for safe and effective program delivery), simplify outcome assessments (for participants to see changes and for program evaluation), and increase the reach to include more urban centres to encourage more healthcare provider (HCP) buy-in with a simplified referral process (i.e. no patient screening required from HCPs to determine eligibility, based on location). This updated program is based off of the Alberta Cancer Exercise (ACE) Program (HREBA.CC-24-0252). Thus, we are modifying the original EXCEL ethics to will reduce the participant burden with less patient-reported-outcomes and fewer follow-ups, which will allow more focus on program implementation, evaluation, and sustainability. Continued effort and training to establish the clinic-to-community model will be enhanced with stronger relationships and referrals from the cancer care system and the HCPs, which will continue to work towards a 'patient-centered care approach'.
- Conditions
- Cancer, Prostate Cancers, Breast Cancers, Colon Cancer, Lung Cancers
- Being tested
- Group Exercise Classes
- Keywords
- Exercise oncology, Exercise, Physical activity, community program, online exercise, cancer survivor, individual living with and beyond cancer, quality of life
- Medical subject headings
- Neoplasms, Prostatic Neoplasms, Breast Neoplasms, Colonic Neoplasms, Lung Neoplasms, Motor Activity
What participants receive
What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.
Group Exercise ClassesBehavioural
Participants will take part in a combination of aerobic, resistance, balance, and flexibility exercises delivered in a circuit-type class setting, twice weekly for a 8-12-week period (duration of intervention depends on scheduling logistics for the coordinating hubs and their spokes sites). The exercise sessions will be conducted in groups with a ratio of up to 15 participants per instructor. The program follows exercise progression principles (i.e., frequency, intensity, time, type, overload and progression) over the 8-12-weeks, with tailoring of any exercise to meet individual participant needs as required, in order to promote fitness and wellness benefits.
| Study group | Role | What they receive |
|---|---|---|
| Intervention | Experimental | All participants will be involved in group exercise classes, twice a week for 8-12 weeks. Receives: Behavioral: Group Exercise Classes |
What is being measured
The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.
Physical Activity Level
The Modified Godin Leisure Time Exercise Questionnaire is used to determine subjective levels of physical activity in each participant.
Measured: Baseline to one year
Secondary outcomes (11)
Cancer related symptoms
Change in Edmonton Symptom Assessment Scale - revised: cancer. Scale is from 0-10, where 0 means the symptom is absent and 10 means the worst possible severity of the symptom is being experienced.
Measured: Baseline to one year
Cost-effectiveness
Change in EuroQual - 5Dimensions (EQ-5D) tool - first section is a questionnaire; last section uses a scale from 0-100, where 0 means the worst health imaginable and 100 means the best health imaginable.
Measured: Baseline to one year
Fatigue
Change in Functional Assessment of Chronic Illness Therapy - Fatigue subscale - scale is from 0-4, where 0 means "not at all" and 4 means "very much".
Measured: Baseline to one year
Quality of life
Single-item measure on quality of life - scale from 0 to 100, where 100 means the best Quality of Life imaginable and 0 means the worst Quality of Life imaginable.
Measured: Baseline to one year
Body Composition
Change in body mass index (BMI)
Measured: Baseline to 12-weeks
Aerobic Capactiy
Change in 6-minute walk test (m) or 2 minute step test (steps) results
Measured: Baseline to 12-weeks
Lower body strength
Change in sit-to-stand (number of repetitions in 30 seconds)
Measured: Baseline to 12-weeks
Upper extremity flexibility
Change in active shoulder flexion range of motion (degrees)
Measured: Baseline to 12-weeks
Balance
Change in one legged stance test (seconds)
Measured: Baseline to 12-weeks
Exercise adherence
Adherence to exercise programming (attendance at sessions)
Measured: Duration of the intervention (8-12 week exercise program)
Program implementation and evaluation
RE-AIM: program reach, effectiveness, adoption, implementation and maintenance
Measured: Baseline to one year
Timeline
From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.
- First posted7 May 2025
- Study start11 Mar 2025
- Primary completion30 Oct 2026 (estimated)
- Study completion30 Nov 2026 (estimated)
Resources
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govThe registry entry this page is built from, with its full change history.
- Other trials for CancerStudies of the same condition, open and under way.
- What the trial phases meanHow a treatment moves from first tests in people to approval.
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
- Supportive care
- Allocation
- Not applicable
- Intervention model
- Single group
- Model description
- Hybrid effectiveness-implementation study
- Masking
- None (open label)
- Enrolment
- 740 participants (estimated)
Sponsor and investigators
- Lead sponsor
- University of Calgary
- Sponsor type
- University, hospital or other
- Collaborators
- University of Alberta, Dalhousie University, Nova Scotia Health Authority, University of Toronto, Centre hospitalier de l'Université de Montréal (CHUM), University of British Columbia, Memorial University of Newfoundland, University of Prince Edward Island, Alberta Health services
- Responsible party
- Sponsor
- Investigators
- Nicole Culos-Reed, PhD, Principal investigator, University of Calgary
IDs, dates and publications
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT06960291
- Sponsor's protocol ID
- HREBA.CC-25-0029
- Acronym
- EXCEL
- Status last verified
- Mar 2025
- First submitted
- 4 Apr 2025
- Last updated
- 7 Oct 2025
- Results posted
- No
- Data monitoring committee
- No
- FDA-regulated drug
- No
- FDA-regulated device
- No
- Individual data sharing
- No: No plan at this time to share IPD outside of the research team.
Study at a glance
From the registry record, last updated by the sponsor on 7 Oct 2025. Recruitment status is as the sponsor reported it: confirm with the study team.
- Official title
- Sustainable Implementation of the EXCEL Exercise Oncology Program Across Canada
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT06960291
- Acronym / sponsor ID
- EXCEL / HREBA.CC-25-0029
- Conditions
- Cancer, Prostate Cancers, Breast Cancers, Colon Cancer, Lung Cancers
- Keywords
- Exercise oncology, Exercise, Physical activity, community program, online exercise, cancer survivor, individual living with and beyond cancer, quality of life
- Study type
- Interventional
- Recruitment status
- Recruiting
- Enrolment
- 740 participants (estimated)
- Lead sponsor
- University of CalgaryUniversity, hospital or other
- Collaborators
- University of Alberta, Dalhousie University, Nova Scotia Health Authority, University of Toronto, Centre hospitalier de l'Université de Montréal (CHUM), University of British Columbia, Memorial University of Newfoundland, University of Prince Edward Island, Alberta Health services
- Study start
- 11 Mar 2025 (actual)
- Primary completion
- 30 Oct 2026 (estimated)
- Study completion
- 30 Nov 2026 (estimated)
- First posted
- 7 May 2025 (actual)
- Results
- Not posted in the source record
Clinical summary
The research question as the sponsor registered it. This describes what the study plans to test, not what it found.
EXCEL will provide online and, where feasible, in-person exercise programs to individuals living with and beyond cancer (ILWBC). Research has shown that targeted programs that include tailored exercise prescriptions are more successful in helping individuals with chronic disease to incorporate physical activity and exercise into their daily routines. While ILWBC are advised by healthcare professionals (HCPs) to engage in exercise, there is a lack of cancer-specific exercise programs and cancer-trained exercise specialists in Canada, outside of the research setting. Considering the negative impact cancer and its treatments have on fitness and physical activity levels, community-based efforts towards improving access, uptake and maintenance of exercise programming are needed.
This study will evaluate the benefits of a community-based or online EXCEL exercise program for people living with and beyond cancer across Canada, using a streamlined intake process compared to the original EXCEL Study (HREBA.CC-20-0098, NCT04478851). This 8 to 12-week program (intervention) will be delivered in-person or over virtual platform. It includes twice weekly supervised exercise classes.
Detailed description
Over the past 4.5 years, the EXCEL Study (HREBA.CC-20-0098, NCT04478851) has been implemented across Canada and has recruited over 1500 individuals living with and beyond cancer. This updated study will streamline the program to essential baseline screening and testing (for safe and effective program delivery), simplify outcome assessments (for participants to see changes and for program evaluation), and increase the reach to include more urban centres to encourage more healthcare provider (HCP) buy-in with a simplified referral process (i.e. no patient screening required from HCPs to determine eligibility, based on location). This updated program is based off of the Alberta Cancer Exercise (ACE) Program (HREBA.CC-24-0252). Thus, we are modifying the original EXCEL ethics to will reduce the participant burden with less patient-reported-outcomes and fewer follow-ups, which will allow more focus on program implementation, evaluation, and sustainability. Continued effort and training to establish the clinic-to-community model will be enhanced with stronger relationships and referrals from the cancer care system and the HCPs, which will continue to work towards a 'patient-centered care approach'.
Study design
- Primary purpose
- Supportive care
- Allocation
- Not applicable
- Intervention model
- Single group
- Masking
- None (open label)
- Number of arms
- 1
- Model description
- Hybrid effectiveness-implementation study
| Arm | Type | Receives |
|---|---|---|
| Intervention | Experimental | Behavioral: Group Exercise ClassesAll participants will be involved in group exercise classes, twice a week for 8-12 weeks. |
Who may qualify
- Ages
- 18 years and older
- Sex
- All
- Healthy volunteers
- Not accepted
- Age groups
- Adult, Older adult
Key inclusion criteria (5 listed)
- have or had a diagnosis of cancer;
- be 18 years or older;
- be able to participate in low-intensity levels of activity, at minimum;
- be pretreatment, or receiving active cancer treatment (i.e., surgery, systemic therapy and radiation therapy), have received cancer treatment within the past 3 years, or if beyond 3 years since treatment completion, have a referral from their healthcare team indicating they have side effects from cancer treatment or the cancer itself, that could be improved or managed with exercise;
- be able to provide informed written consent in English or French
Key exclusion criteria (6 listed)
- does not or did not have a cancer diagnosis
- is under the age of 18
- is unable to participate in mild exercise, at minimum
- is not pretreatment, or receiving active cancer treatment (i.e., surgery, systemic therapy and radiation therapy), has not received cancer treatment within the past 3 years, or if beyond 3 years since treatment completion, doesn't have side effects from cancer treatment or the cancer itself, that could be improved or managed with exercise
- unable to read/write in English
Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening; this overview does not establish that a patient qualifies. Full inclusion and exclusion criteria.
Interventions
| Intervention | Type | Arms |
|---|---|---|
| Group Exercise ClassesParticipants will take part in a combination of aerobic, resistance, balance, and flexibility exercises delivered in a circuit-type class setting, twice weekly for a 8-12-week period (duration of intervention depends on scheduling logistics for the coordinating hubs and their spokes sites). The exercise sessions will be conducted in groups with a ratio of up to 15 participants per instructor. The program follows exercise progression principles (i.e., frequency, intensity, time, type, overload and progression) over the 8-12-weeks, with tailoring of any exercise to meet individual participant needs as required, in order to promote fitness and wellness benefits. | Behavioural | Intervention |
Primary outcome
Physical Activity Level
Time frame: Baseline to one year
The Modified Godin Leisure Time Exercise Questionnaire is used to determine subjective levels of physical activity in each participant.
11 secondary outcomes
Cancer related symptoms
Time frame: Baseline to one year
Cost-effectiveness
Time frame: Baseline to one year
Fatigue
Time frame: Baseline to one year
Quality of life
Time frame: Baseline to one year
Body Composition
Time frame: Baseline to 12-weeks
Aerobic Capactiy
Time frame: Baseline to 12-weeks
Lower body strength
Time frame: Baseline to 12-weeks
Upper extremity flexibility
Time frame: Baseline to 12-weeks
Balance
Time frame: Baseline to 12-weeks
Exercise adherence
Time frame: Duration of the intervention (8-12 week exercise program)
Program implementation and evaluation
Time frame: Baseline to one year
Results and safety
This study is still under way. Results are not available in the source record yet.
Research links
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govLast updated by the sponsor 7 Oct 2025.
- Individual participant dataSharing planned: No. No plan at this time to share IPD outside of the research team.
Related trials for Cancer
RecruitingPhase 2
A Study to Evaluate the Efficacy of Cemsidomide + Dexamethasone in Participants With Relapsed/Refractory Multiple Myeloma
Multiple Myeloma, Relapsed/Refractory Multiple Myeloma
Not yet recruiting
Effect of a Health Belief Model Based Digital Nudge Intervention on Breast Cancer Screening
Breast Cancer Screening, Breast Cancer Awareness
Not yet recruiting
The AYA Oncology Self-care Movement
Acute Lymphobkastic Leukemia, Medication Adherence
Not yet recruitingPhase 1/2
177Lu-DOTA-EB-TATE in Adult Patients With Metastatic, Radioactive Iodine Non-Responsive Oncocytic (Hurthle-Cell) Thyroid Cancer
Thyroid Cancer
RecruitingPhase 2
The COSMYC Trial (COmbined Suppression of MYC)
Metastatic Castration-resistant Prostate Cancer
Referral and contact
AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals. Contact the study team or a site listed below; they decide who can take part.
Nicole Culos-Reed, PhD principal investigator
University of Calgary
5 sites in 1 country: see every site and its status.
Questions about this trial
What is this clinical trial studying?
A study testing Group Exercise Classes in people with Cancer and Prostate Cancers, run by University of Calgary at 5 sites in Canada.
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 5 inclusion and 6 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: looking for participants now, as of the sponsor's last update on 7 Oct 2025. Status can change between updates, so confirm with the study contact before making plans.
Where is the study taking place?
The record lists 5 sites in Canada. 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?
Contact Julianna Dreger, PhD ((403) 210-8482, jdreger@ucalgary.ca), or a site near the patient. AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals.
What does the primary outcome measure?
Physical Activity Level (time frame: Baseline to one year). It is what the study was designed to measure, not a finding.
Where can I read the original study information?
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 7 Oct 2025.