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Table 4 Effect of exercise on aerobic capacity and muscle strength based on an intention-to-treat analysis

From: Effects of an 18-week exercise programme started early during breast cancer treatment: a randomised controlled trial

Ā Ā Ā 

Baseline to 18Ā weeks (i.e., post intervention)

Baseline to 36Ā weeks

Ā Ā 

Baseline

Within-group difference

Between-group difference

Within-group difference

Between-group difference

Ā Ā 

Mean (SD)

Mean

[95Ā % CI]

Mean

[95Ā % CI]

ES

Mean

[95Ā % CI]

Mean

[95Ā % CI]

ES

Aerobic capacity

Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā 

ā€ƒPeak VO2 (L/min)

UC

1.8 (0.3)

āˆ’0.2

[āˆ’0.3 to āˆ’0.1]

Ā 

Reference

Ā 

0.0

[0.0 to 0.1]

Ā 

Reference

Ā 
Ā 

I

1.7 (0.4)

āˆ’0.2

[āˆ’0.2 to āˆ’0.1]

0.0

[āˆ’0.1 to 0.1]

0.06

0.0

[āˆ’0.1 to 0.1]

āˆ’0.1

[āˆ’0.2 to 0.0]

āˆ’0.20

ā€ƒPeak VO2/kg (mL/min/kg)

UC

23.8 (5.2)

āˆ’3.2

[āˆ’4.2 to āˆ’2.2]

Ā 

Reference

Ā 

0.3

[āˆ’0.6 to 1.3]

Ā 

Reference

Ā 
Ā 

I

23.9 (5.6)

āˆ’2.8

[āˆ’3.7 to āˆ’2.0]

0.5

[āˆ’0.8 to 1.7]

0.09

āˆ’0.7

[āˆ’1.6 to 0.2]

āˆ’1.0

[āˆ’2.2 to 0.3]

āˆ’0.18

ā€ƒPeak power output (Watt)

UC

156.7 (34.3)

āˆ’19.5

[āˆ’24.4 to-14.6]

Ā 

Reference

Ā 

2.0

[āˆ’2.8 to 6.8]

Ā 

Reference

Ā 
Ā 

I

152.3 (38.1)

āˆ’13.4

[āˆ’17.8 to āˆ’9.1]

4.0

[āˆ’2.3 to 10.4]

0.11

0.1

[āˆ’4.3 to 4.5]

āˆ’3.7

[āˆ’10.1 to 2.7]

āˆ’0.10

ā€ƒPeak heart rate (beat/min)

UC

169.9 (16.6)

āˆ’4.9

[āˆ’7.6 to āˆ’2.3]

Ā 

Reference

Ā 

āˆ’1.7

[āˆ’4.3 to 1.0]

Ā 

Reference

Ā 
Ā 

I

167.6 (16.7)

āˆ’2.8

[āˆ’5.2 to āˆ’0.5]

0.9

[āˆ’2.7 to 4.5]

0.06

āˆ’2.2

[āˆ’4.7 to 0.2]

āˆ’1.6

[āˆ’5.3 to 2.0]

āˆ’0.10

ā€ƒVO2 at VT (L/min)

UC

1.2 (0.3)

āˆ’0.1

[āˆ’0.2 to 0.0]

Ā 

Reference

Ā 

0.1

[0.0 to 0.2]

Ā 

Reference

Ā 
Ā 

I

1.2 (0.3)

0.0

[āˆ’0.1 to 0.0]

0.1

[0.0 to 0.2]

0.31

0.2

[0.1 to 0.2]

0.0

[āˆ’0.1 to 0.1]

0.12

ā€ƒPower output at VT (Watt)

UC

82.4 (33.8)

āˆ’11.5

[āˆ’18.4 to āˆ’4.6]

Ā 

Reference

Ā 

15.7

[8.7 to 22.7]

Ā 

Reference

Ā 
Ā 

I

80.7 (31.4)

āˆ’2.7

[āˆ’8.9 to 3.6]

9.4

[0.5 to 18.3]

0.29

13.7

[7.4 to 20.1]

āˆ’2.0

[āˆ’11.0 to 7.0]

āˆ’0.06

Muscle strength

Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā 

ā€ƒRight knee extensor peak torque at 60Ā°/s (Nm)

UC

106.0 (27.3)

āˆ’4.3

[āˆ’9.6 to 1.0]

Ā 

Reference

Ā 

āˆ’3.4

[āˆ’8.6 to 1.8]

Ā 

Reference

Ā 

I

102.6 (32.0)

4.4

[āˆ’0.5 to 9.2]

7.5

[0.9 to 14.2]

0.25

0.2

[āˆ’4.7 to 5.0]

2.7

[āˆ’3.8 to 9.3]

0.09

ā€ƒRight knee flexor peak torque at 60Ā°/s (Nm)

UC

59.8 (22.7)

āˆ’3.6

[āˆ’8.2 to 1.0]

Ā 

Reference

Ā 

1.4

[āˆ’3.6 to 5.9]

Ā 

Reference

Ā 

I

58.6 (20.5)

7.8

[3.6 to 12.0]

9.1

[3.6 to 14.6]

0.42

8.5

[4.2 to 12.8]

5.8

[0.3 to 11.2]

0.27

ā€ƒLeft knee extensor peak torque at 60Ā°/s (Nm)

UC

97.7 (28.3)

āˆ’4.2

[āˆ’10.6 to 2.2]

Ā 

Reference

Ā 

āˆ’4.2

[āˆ’10.4 to 1.9]

Ā 

Reference

Ā 

I

96.4 (31.5)

6.7

[1.0 to 12.5]

9.9

[1.5 to 18.4]

0.33

2.7

[āˆ’3.1 to 8.5]

6.1

[āˆ’2.2 to 14.4]

0.20

ā€ƒLeft knee flexor peak torque at 60Ā°/s (Nm)

UC

61.3 (25.3)

āˆ’3.6

[āˆ’9.15 to 1.9]

Ā 

Reference

Ā 

āˆ’0.4

[āˆ’5.8 to 4.9]

Ā 

Reference

Ā 

I

59.3 (19.7)

8.3

[3.3 to 13.3]

10.1

[3.2 to 16.9]

0.45

4.6

[āˆ’0.5 to 9.6]

2.9

[āˆ’3.8 to 9.6]

0.13

ā€ƒRight knee extensor peak torque at 180Ā°/s (Nm)

UC

58.0 (23.0)

āˆ’0.3

[āˆ’5.5 to 4.9]

Ā 

Reference

Ā 

1.9

[āˆ’3.2 to 6.9]

Ā 

Reference

Ā 

I

54.1 (22.4)

7.4

[2.7 to 12.1]

3.6

[āˆ’2.9 to 10.2]

0.16

7.4

[2.7 to 12.2]

1.5

[āˆ’4.9 to 8.0]

0.07

ā€ƒRight knee flexor peak torque at 180Ā°/s (Nm)

UC

40.8 (20.6)

2.0

[āˆ’3.0 to 7.0]

Ā 

Reference

Ā 

3.7

[āˆ’1.1 to 8.6]

Ā 

Reference

Ā 

I

41.6 (20.3)

6.5

[2.0 to 11.1]

3.1

[āˆ’3.0 to 9.3]

0.15

6.7

[2.1 to 11.2]

2.2

[āˆ’3.9 to 8.2]

0.11

ā€ƒLeft knee extensor peak torque at 180Ā°/s (Nm)

UC

51.0 (21.9)

0.0

[āˆ’5.4 to 5.5]

Ā 

Reference

Ā 

āˆ’0.9

[āˆ’6.2 to 4.4]

Ā 

Reference

Ā 

I

49.1 (20.4)

5.1

[0.2 to 10.1]

3.9

[āˆ’3.2 to 10.9]

0.18

6.0

[1.1 to 11.0]

5.7

[āˆ’1.2 to 12.6]

0.27

ā€ƒLeft knee flexor peak torque at 180Ā°/s (Nm)

UC

39.1 (21.2)

3.4

[āˆ’1.1 to 7.9]

Ā 

Reference

Ā 

4.0

[āˆ’0.4 to 8.3]

Ā 

Reference

Ā 

I

40.5 (19.1)

5.4

[1.4 to 9.5]

1.2

[āˆ’4.4 to 6.8]

0.06

6.6

[2.5 to 10.6]

2.4

[āˆ’3.1 to 7.8]

0.12

ā€ƒHandgrip right (kgF)

UC

31.8 (5.7)

āˆ’0.9

[āˆ’1.9 to 0.1]

Ā 

Reference

Ā 

āˆ’0.7

[āˆ’1.7 to 0.4]

Ā 

Reference

Ā 

I

30.4 (5.8)

āˆ’0.2

[āˆ’1.1 to 0.7]

0.1

[āˆ’1.2 to 1.5]

0.02

0.1

[āˆ’0.8 to 1.0]

0.3

[āˆ’1.1 to 1.6]

0.05

ā€ƒHandgrip left (kgF)

UC

29.2 (6.0)

āˆ’0.8

[āˆ’2.0 to 0.3]

Ā 

Reference

Ā 

0.1

[āˆ’1.1 to 1.2]

Ā 

Reference

Ā 

I

27.8 (5.7)

0.2

[āˆ’0.8 to 1.2]

0.8

[āˆ’0.8 to 2.3]

0.13

0.6

[āˆ’0.4 to 1.6]

0.3

[āˆ’1.3 to 1.8]

0.04

Body weight (kg)

UC

76.0 (15.4)

1.5

[0.8 to 2.3]

Ā 

Reference

Ā 

1.6

[0.8 to 2.4]

Ā 

Reference

Ā 
Ā 

I

72.8 (13.2)

1.9

[1.2 to 2.6]

0.1

[āˆ’0.9 to 1.2]

0.01

1.6

[0.9 to 2.3]

āˆ’0.1

[āˆ’1.2 to 0.9]

āˆ’0.01

  1. VT ventilatory threshold, ES effect size, I intervention group, UC usual care group
  2. Between-group effects were assessed using mixed models including the measurements obtained at 18 and 36Ā weeks, adjusted for age, hospital, radiotherapy, use of tissue expander, tumour receptor status, and the value of the outcome variable at baseline
  3. Within-group effects were assessed using mixed models including the measurements obtained at baseline, 18 and 36Ā weeks, adjusted for age, hospital, radiotherapy, use of tissue expander, and tumour receptor status
  4. Baseline results and within-group differences were based on participants having baseline measurements: body weight: 102 intervention (I) and 102 usual care (UC), aerobic capacity: 101 (I) and 98 (UC), leg strength: 78 (I) and 79 (UC), and hand grip: 98 (I) and 100 (UC)
  5. Between-group differences were based on participants for whom measurements at 18 or 36Ā weeks were available: body weight: 90 (I) and 79 (UC), aerobic capacity: 88 (I) and 76 (UC), leg strength: 69 (I) and 64 (UC), and hand grip: 90 (I) and 79 (UC)