SPC365

Is There a Role for Cardiac Rehabilitation in Breast Cancer Patients Undergoing Chemotherapy?

Session: Sessão de Posters 03 - Cardio-oncologia e doença sistémica: onde o cancro encontra o coração
Speaker: Ana Rita Andrade

Congress: CPC 2026
Topic: K. Cardiovascular Disease In Special Populations
Theme: 30. Cardiovascular Disease in Special Populations
Subtheme: 30.6 Cardio-Oncology
Session Type: Posters Eletrónicos
FP Number: ---
Authors: Ana Rita Andrade; João Cravo; Graça Araújo; Marta Ramalhinho; Madalena Lemos Pires; Rita Pinto; Mariana Borges; Pedro Alves da Silva; Nelson Cunha; Fausto J. Pinto; Ana Abreu

<p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="color:#000000"><strong>Introduction</strong></span></span></span><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="color:#000000">:&nbsp;</span></span></span><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="color:#000000">Breast cancer anthracycline-based chemotherapies (AC) carries a high risk of cardiotoxicity and functional decline. Cardiac rehabilitation (CR) modelled programmes may help mitigate these effects, but their cardiovascular impact in this population remains unclear.</span></span></span></p>

<p style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="color:#000000"><strong>Aim:&nbsp;</strong></span></span></span><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="color:#000000">To evaluate the cardiovascular and functional effects of a 12-week CR&ndash;modelled programme in breast cancer patients during and after AC.</span></span></span></p>

<p style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="color:#000000"><strong>Methods:&nbsp;</strong></span></span></span><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="color:#000000">This prospective single-center study included breast cancer patients diagnosed in 2022 and referred for CR during AC. Patients were randomly assigned to 12-week CR exercise sessions or during AC (CRduringAC) or after AC (CRafterAC). The 12-week programme comprised two supervised weekly sessions (90min/session) and one unsupervised aerobic session, integrating moderate-intensity cycling, strength, and functional training, plus an optional home-based aerobic activity. Body composition, echocardiography, functional assessment of chronical illness (FACIT), muscle strength (handgrip) and a ramp symptom-limited cardiopulmonary exercise test (CPET) were assessed at baseline, 3 months, and 6 months.</span></span></span></p>

<p style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="color:#000000"><strong>Results</strong></span></span></span><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="color:#000000">:&nbsp;</span></span></span><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="color:#000000">From a total cohort of 113 breast cancer patients undergoing AC with or without trastuzumab, 11 were enrolled in a 12-week exercise-based CR programme (mean age 46 &plusmn; 2 years; 10 [90%] female), of whom 9 completed the intervention. At 3-month follow-up, participants demonstrated a trend toward improved body composition, including reductions in body fat percentage (35 &plusmn; 6% vs 31 &plusmn; 8%, p=0.09) and increases in muscle mass (61 &plusmn; 6% vs 66 &plusmn; 8%, p=0.09). CPET parameters showed modest, non-significant gains in functional capacity: peak load/kg (1.5 &plusmn; 0.7 vs 1.7 &plusmn; 0.7, p=0.10) and peak respiratory exchange ratio (RER) (1.1 &plusmn; 0.2 vs 1.2 &plusmn; 0.1, p=0.20). Functional capacity assessed via the FACIT score improved significantly (112 &plusmn; 19 vs 127 &plusmn; 24, p=0.02). Echocardiographic parameters remained stable during follow-up.&nbsp;</span></span></span><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="color:#000000">In subgroup analyses comparing CRduringAC (n=3) versus CRafterAC (n=6), no significant differences were observed, indicating similar trajectories between groups in body composition, echocardiographic parameters, and functional capacity.</span></span></span></p>

<p style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="color:#000000"><strong>Conclusion</strong></span></span></span><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="color:#000000">:&nbsp;</span></span></span><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="color:#000000">CR-modelled rehabilitation appears to be beneficial for breast cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy, leading to improvements in body composition and functional capacity. These findings underscore the need for larger studies to confirm these results and to clarify the role of this approach in supporting chemotherapy tolerance and mitigating cardiotoxicity.</span></span></span></p>

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