Home walking program can improve QOL, fatigue levels in post-surgery pancreatic cancer patients

Participation in a home walking program can lead to a significant improvement in quality of life, fatigue levels and physical functioning of post-surgery pancreatic cancer patients, according to findings from a randomized, controlled study by researchers at Thomas Jefferson University and Jefferson School of Nursing - set to appear in the Journal of the American College of Surgeons on April 1.

Theresa Yeo, Ph.D., CRNP, principal investigator of the study, says these findings are significant because fatigue is the most commonly reported symptom in cancer patients - and now action can be taken to minimize that.

"As patients with pancreas and periampullary cancer (PPC) experience improved survival rates and longevity, the focus shifts toward living life while surviving cancer," says Dr. Yeo. "We found a home walking program can effectively decrease fatigue levels and improve physical functioning in cancer patients. As such, we now recommend a structured walking prescription to our patients at Jefferson."

Consenting to participate in the study were 102 patients with resected PPC. Patients were randomized to either an intervention group (IG) or a usual care group (UCG). Subjects completed visual analog scales, FACIT fatigue scale and short form after surgery and again three to six months after hospital discharge.

The outcomes showed that patients in the IG had significantly improved scores on the FACIT Fatigue Scale at study completion, improved fatigue and pain scores, as well as overall physical functioning and mental health composite scores. At study completion, participants in the IG were walking twice as far and were significantly more likely to have continued walking or another form of exercise as compared with the UCG.

"From this study, we see the positive effects of an exercise prescription on patients' outcome. It is the first randomly controlled trial to prospectively evaluate the effects of a structured program. It is important to assess the impact that survival has on patients' lives and to return them to pre-operative performance status," says Dr. Yeo.