Home Exercise App Versus Health Education for People With Early Bladder Cancer
Compares an app-guided home activity program with health education in early bladder cancer.
Key facts
- Who runs it
- University of Washington
- Where
- Seattle, United StatesSee the site
- Trial code
- Registry title
- Home-Based Physical Activity Program With Digital App Versus Health Education Group for Improving Physical Activity Among Patients With Non-muscle Invasive Bladder Cancer, The EMPOWER Trial
- Status
- Recruiting
- People taking part
- 100 people, planned
- Started
- 11 Mar 2026
- Expected to end
- 27 Sept 2027
- Type of study
- Interventional, 2 groupsOne group gets an existing treatment, for comparison.
- Treatments tested
- Internet-Based Intervention
- Best Practice
- Exercise Intervention
- Health Telemonitoring
- Educational Intervention
- Questionnaire Administration
- Interview
- Electronic Health Record Review
- Record updated
- 6 July 2026
Who can take part
AI summary
From the trial's eligibility criteria. Machine-read from the registry text on this page, so it can be wrong. The registry text below and the trial team decide who can take part.
The trial is looking for adults who had non-muscle invasive bladder cancer, are on surveillance or maintenance bladder treatment, and are not active enough. It tests a home exercise app against health education.
- Age
- 18 years or older
- Sex
- All sexes can join
- Disease stage
- Non-muscle invasive bladder cancer (cancer that has not reached the bladder muscle), on surveillance or on maintenance treatment placed in the bladder
- Earlier treatment
- Currently on surveillance or receiving maintenance treatment placed in the bladder (intravesical chemotherapy or immunotherapy)
Main reasons for not taking part
- Muscle-invasive or metastatic bladder cancer
- Severe memory or thinking problems or dementia
- Problems that prevent safe walking or following the exercise program
- Not treated at University of Washington (UW)
- No Android or Apple smartphone or tablet that can run the app
The registry criteria, word for word
Show all 17 criteriaShow less
Who can take part
- Adults (age >= 18 years)
- Prior diagnosis of non-muscle invasive bladder cancer (NMIBC), currently on surveillance or receiving maintenance intravesical therapy (including intravesical chemotherapy, immunotherapy)
- Classified as insufficiently active on the Physical Activity as a Vital Sign (PAVS) assessment
- Has an Android or Apple Smartphone/Tablet
- Ambulatory
- English-speaking
- Willing and able to participate in study activities and sign the informed consent form
Who cannot take part
- Not receiving treatment at University of Washington (UW)
- Orthopedic, neurologic, or other problems that prevent safe ambulation and protocol adherence. Information on prior falls and other recent orthopedic or neurologic problems will be used to make judgment about protocol eligibility
- Uncontrolled or concurrent illness including, but not limited to, ongoing or active infection, symptomatic congestive heart failure, unstable angina pectoris, cardiac arrhythmia, or psychiatric illness/social situations that would limit compliance with study requirements
- Severe cognitive or memory impairment/dementia precluding ability to follow instructions or participate in survey assessments
- Current diagnosis with muscle-invasive or metastatic bladder cancer
- Inability to read or understand English
- Lack of access or lack of sufficient facility to use an Android or iOS smart device with the minimum criteria to run the ExerciseRx app
- Inability/Unwillingness to participate in a personalized exercise program
- Lack of access or lack of sufficient facility to use an Android or iOS smart device with the minimum criteria for using the ExerciseRx app
- Participation in a clinical trial that does not permit enrollment in the EMPOWER trial
Where in United States
- Fred Hutch/University of Washington Cancer ConsortiumSeattle, United StatesContact: Sarah Psutka, MD, MScTaking people
About the trial
What the trial wants to find out
This clinical trial compares how well a home-based personalized physical activity program (PAP) that is delivered by a digital application (app) (the ExerciseRx app) works compared to health education in improving physical activity for patients with bladder cancer that has not reached the muscle wall of the bladder (non-muscle invasive). For people who are not physically active, previous studies have shown that increasing step counts can reduce incidence of death, reduce frailty, and reduce healthcare costs. The ExerciseRx app tracks adherence to home exercise, adapts step count goals based on the patient's progress, and provides encouraging feedback and motivation from the healthcare team. Additional features include activity summaries, progress towards current goal, nudges, helpful facts about the benefits of activity, and ideas for how to incorporate daily movement. A home-based PAP using the ExerciseRx app may work better in increasing physical activity among patients with non-muscle invasive bladder cancer compared to a health education only group.
The 2 groups in the trial
- Group I: Health Education Group (HEG)Existing treatment, for comparison
Patients receive recommendations from their physicians to continue their usual physical activity as tolerated, receive a FitBit® to wear continuously throughout the study, with the ExerciseRx app locked to the baseline home screen, and receive an educational pamphlet describing physical activity goals in line with NCCN Survivorship for Healthy Living Guidelines.
Treatment: Best Practice, Internet-Based Intervention, Health Telemonitoring, Educational Intervention, Questionnaire Administration, Interview, and Electronic Health Record Review
- Group II: Physical Activity Program (PAP) interventionTreatment being tested
Patients complete home exercise sessions given via the ExerciseRx app over 20-30 minutes 4 times per week for 12 weeks and receive daily step count goals. Patients also receive a FitBit® to wear continuously throughout the study, and are given access to view their step counts via the ExerciseRx app, and receive an educational pamphlet as in Group I.
Treatment: Internet-Based Intervention, Exercise Intervention, Health Telemonitoring, Educational Intervention, Questionnaire Administration, Interview, and Electronic Health Record Review
Questions to ask the study team
- How often do I need to come in, and for how long each time?
- Are travel costs paid?
- Can I keep my own doctor?
- What happens if I want to stop?
Contact the study team: see the registry record → Contacts and Locations
Print a page for my doctorData and sources
- Registry record
- Listed on ClinicalTrials.gov.
- Official title
- The EMPOWER Trial: Evaluating a Home-Based Physical Activity Program (PAP) With the ExerciseRx™ Digital Platform vs. Health Education Group (HEG) in People With Non-Muscle Invasive Bladder Cancer
- Plain-language title
- Home Exercise App Versus Health Education for People With Early Bladder CancerGenerated from the registry record. The registry title is the official one.
- AI summary
- From the trial's eligibility criteria. Read by machine on 13 November 2026.
- Record updated
- 6 July 2026