Fact CheckerSign in

NCT05364879Recruiting

Prehabilitation for Ovarian Cancer Patients

The Impact of Prehabilitation Exercise on Frailty and Treatment Outcomes in Ovarian Cancer Patients

Source: ClinicalTrials.gov · Last updated 1 Jun 2026

Brief summary (registry, in English)

Individuals with ovarian cancer have very poor survival rates. This is because the cancer is not usually detected until it has reached advanced stages. How long an individual survives also is determined by the cancer treatment they receive. Although there are best treatment practices to improve survival, some women have other conditions that limit treatment options. One such condition seen in as many as 50% of women with advanced ovarian cancer is frailty (an age-related decline in function and health). This is a major concern as doctors will often have to change how the cancer is treated based on the patient being frail. For example, patients living with frailty are less likely to have their full tumor removed during surgery. They are also more likely to have complications with surgery, stay in the hospital longer, and recover less well from surgery overall. Patients living with frailty also are more likely to experience delays in their chemotherapy starting, receive lower doses of chemotherapy and/or receive fewer cycles of chemotherapy. These changes in treatment may decrease how long a patient survives after diagnosis. Thus, research is needed to explore strategies to decrease frailty in patients who require treatment for advanced ovarian cancer. An option gaining more attention is physical exercise (e.g. walking, repeatedly rising from a chair). Exercise performed before surgery, which is called prehabilitation, can improve how well a patient recovers after surgery and increase how long they survive. Research has shown that prehabilitation is very beneficial for patients undergoing surgery for heart disease. However, it is not clear whether prehabilitation works for those with advanced ovarian cancer that are going to have surgery. Therefore, the investigators want to explore how a 4+ week exercise program performed while waiting for surgery for advanced ovarian cancer changes frailty and how a patient recovers after surgery. The investigators will specifically look whether the exercise program: 1) reduces how frail a patient is before surgery; 2) improves how well the patient recovers after surgery; and 3) affects the patient's chemotherapy treatment plan. This study will provide important information about the ability of prehabilitation exercise to improve surgical and treatment outcomes in women with advanced ovarian cancer. Overall, it is believed that exercise has the potential to improve the survival of advanced ovarian cancer patients.

Status (registry)
Recruiting
Study type
Interventional
Enrollment
108 (estimated)
First submitted
30 Mar 2022
Start date
3 Jan 2023
Primary completion date
31 Aug 2027
Lead sponsor
Nova Scotia Health Authority
NCT number
NCT05364879

What you commit to

  • Study type: Interventional
  • Planned participants: 108
  • From 3 Jan 2023 to the primary completion date, 31 Aug 2027
  • 1 site in 1 country
  • Visits and tests: ask the trial team, the registry does not list them

Built from the registry fields of ClinicalTrials.gov. It describes the study, not your situation.

Who cannot take part

Copied verbatim from ClinicalTrials.gov and grouped by topic. Only the trial team decides who can take part.

Prior treatment

  • Have already completed surgery

Other illness

  • Unstable cardiac or respiratory disease, injury or any other co-morbid disease that may make it unsafe for participants to exercise
  • Significant cognitive impairment (e.g., do not have the capacity to consent, unable to follow exercise instructions)

Who the study is looking for

  • 18 years or older
  • Have a confirmed diagnosis of stage III or IV ovarian cancer
  • Scheduled to receive cytoreductive surgery as part of their treatment plan
  • Must have a minimum of 4-weeks between the time of study enrollment and scheduled surgery
  • Be able to attend in-person and/or virtual exercise sessions
  • Be fluent in English
  • Have oncologist approval

Age in the registry: 18 years to - · Sex: Female · Does not accept healthy volunteers

Full criteria on ClinicalTrials.gov

Sites (1)

Sites in registry order. Pick your city on the disease page to sort them by distance.

SiteCityCountrySite status
Nova Scotia Health
Coordinator of this site? Confirm its status
HalifaxCanadaRecruiting

This page is information, not medical advice. Discuss any trial with your doctor.