POET-mCRC · Exercise training in metastatic colorectal cancer patients – effects on tumor recurrence, physiological adaptations and disease progression.
Horizon 2020 — Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions
- Duration
- 2022-03-01 → 2025-08-28
- EU contribution
- €328,968
- Participants
- 1
- Scheme
- MSCA-IF
Lines connect the coordinator with its partners.
Results in brief
Exercise training in metastatic colorectal cancer patients – effects on tumor recurrence, physiological adaptations and disease progression.
Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the third most common cancer worldwide and the second most common cancer in Europe. Approximately 25% of patients present with liver metastases at the time of primary diagnosis, the most frequent site of metastasis, while a further ~30% develop hepatic metastases during the disease course. Surgical treatment of liver metastases has become a mainstay in the CRC treatment and has significantly improved disease-free status and overall survival. Despite these advances, 50-75% of patients experience a relapse in less than two years following metastatic tumor removal. Repeated rounds of surgery and systemic therapy impose substantial physiological burden and are associated with deterioration in functional capacity and health-related quality of life. Thus, patients with metastatic CRC (mCRC) comprise a unique, and large, patient cohort characterized by high risk of tumor recurrence and progressive physical deconditioning, who will benefit from in-depth exploration of adjunct treatment strategies with direct implications for cancer specific outcomes. The POET-mCRC study is designed to investigate the effects of a 24-week combined aerobic and resistance exercise intervention, delivered at two predefined training doses, on key clinical and physiological outcomes in patients with mCRC; namely physical fitness, quality of life, tumor recurrence and chemotherapy dose intensity, metabolism and immune function.
Data: CORDIS, © European Union
Project objective
Every year nearly 228,000 individuals die from colorectal cancer (CRC) in Europe, the second most common cancer in Europe. Around 30% of the CRC patients develop liver metastases and these are the main cause of death. Removal of liver metastatic tumors is the primary treatment method for CRC, however, 50-75% of the patients experience a relapse of the metastases within two years, rendering adjunct treatment strategies necessary for these patients.Preclinical work has demonstrated that exercise exerts anti-tumor effects as it is indeed able to inhibit tumor growth. Thus, exercise constitutes an excellent candidate as a complementary to the pharmacological treatment approach for CRC metastatic patients (mCRC). My primary aim is to investigate the effects of chronic exercise on tumor recurrence after liver metastasis removal. Secondary aims are to identify the “optimal dose” of exercise to obtain the largest beneficial effect and explore the changes on circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) as a marker of disease progression. I hypothesize that exercise training will delay or ameliorate disease recurrence in mCRC patients. Patients will be randomized to 3 groups: control, group 1(300 min/week), group 2 (150 min/week) of combined aerobic and strength exercise training for 6 months. Study endpoints will be tumor recurrence, inflammation and immune markers, physiological adaptations and ctDNA changes.The outcomes will provide essential knowledge about how to optimize the guidelines for exercise prescription as part of the treatment plan for mCRC patients.The fellowship will be vital for my reintegration into academia and for me to evolve as a lead researcher. It also constitutes an ideal means of knowledge transfer between myself and the host organization as I will gain knowledge in the oncology area and advance my skills in molecular biology techniques while I convey my experience in dose-response methodology and the conduct of large-scale human exercise trials.
Original text from CORDIS.
Participants
- REGION HOVEDSTADEN · HillerodCoordinatorDenmark
Links
Data: CORDIS, © European Union