Eva Maria Zopf

• Doctor of Sport Science
• Australian Catholic University

PURPOSE To evaluate the cost utility of a 9-month supervised exercise program for patients with metastatic breast cancer (mBC), compared with control (usual care, supplemented with general activity advice and an activity tracker). Evidence on the cost-effectiveness of exercise for patients with mBC is essential for implementation in clinical practi...

Physical exercise both during and after curative cancer treatment has been shown to reduce side effects. Evidence in the metastatic cancer setting is scarce, and interventions that improve health-related quality of life (HRQOL) are much needed for patients with metastatic breast cancer (MBC). The multinational randomized controlled PREFERABLE-EFFEC...

11121 Background: Exercise for patients with metastatic breast cancer (mBC) significantly reduced fatigue and improved quality of life (QoL) in the multinational PREFERABLE-EFFECT RCT (NCT04120298). Evidence on the cost-effectiveness of exercise for patients with mBC is lacking, albeit essential for implementation in clinical practice. In this stud...

INTRODUCTION & AIMS People with advanced cancer and cachexia experience significant body weight loss, impairing physical function and lowering quality of life (QOL). Effective, evidence-based treatments for cancer cachexia are lacking, leaving patients with unmet needs. Exercise holds promise to improve patient QOL. However, information on patients...

INTRODUCTION & AIMS Exercise has been proven safe and effective for patients with breast cancer in the curative setting, however evidence in patients with metastatic breast cancer (mBC) is scarce. The aim of the PREFERABLE - EFFECT study (NCT04120298) was to evaluate the effects of a structured exercise program on fatigue, health-related quality of...

People with advanced cancer and cachexia experience significant body weight loss, adversely impacting physical function and quality of life (QOL). Effective, evidence-based treatments for cancer cachexia are lacking, leaving patients with unmet needs. Exercise holds promise to improve patient QOL. However, information on patients’ experiences of ex...

INTRODUCTION: Patients with metastatic breast cancer (mBC) often experience cancer- and treatment-related side effects that can impair daily life activities and health-related quality of life (HRQoL). Interventions are needed that improve HRQoL by alleviating fatigue and other side effects during palliative BC cancer treatment. Recent evidence-base...

Background: The PREFERABLE-EFFECT study (NCT04120298) was designed to assess effects of a 9-month supervised exercise program in patients with mBC on fatigue, HRQoL and cancer- and treatment-related side effects. Here we investigate whether exercise effects are consistent across subgroups of patients. Materials and Methods: PREFERABLE-EFFECT is a...

Purpose The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of a three-month Guolin Qigong (GQ) intervention on physical fitness and patient-reported health outcomes among patients with lung cancer. Methods This pilot study was a non-randomized controlled trial. Eligible participants who were over 18 years of age and diagnosed with stage I–IV lun...

Background Implementation science seeks to systematically identify determinants, strategies, and outcomes within a causal pathway to help explain successful implementation. This process is applied to evidence-based interventions (EBIs) to improve their adoption, implementation, and sustainment. However, this method has not been applied to exercise...

Introduction: Around 25% of metastatic breast cancer (mBC) patients develop brain metastases, which vastly affects their overall survival and quality of life (QoL). According to the current clinical guidelines, regular magnetic resonance imaging screening is not recommended unless patients have recognized central nervous system (CNS) related sympt...

Background Implementation science frameworks explore, interpret, and evaluate different components of the implementation process. By using a program logic approach, implementation frameworks with different purposes can be combined to detail complex interactions. The Implementation Research Logic Model (IRLM) facilitates the development of causal pa...

Background Many patients with metastatic breast cancer experience cancer- and treatment-related side effects that impair activities of daily living and negatively affect the quality of life. There is a need for interventions that improve quality of life by alleviating fatigue and other side effects during palliative cancer treatment. Beneficial eff...

Aims: Physical activity interventions are recommended for community-based youth mental health services to prevent physical health disparities. Implementation is challenging, and studies focusing on the methods to achieve change are needed. This study aims to identify the context, implementation strategies, and implementation outcomes that illustra...

Cachexia is a prevalent muscle wasting syndrome among people with advanced cancer that profoundly impacts patient quality of life (QoL) and physical function. Exercise can improve QoL, physical function, and overall health in people with cancer and may be an important addition to treatment approaches for cancer cachexia. Greater understanding of pa...

Purpose Colorectal cancer and its treatment are associated with debilitating side effects. Exercise may improve the physical and psychological wellbeing of cancer patients; however, evidence in colorectal cancer patients undergoing adjuvant chemotherapy is limited. This pilot study aimed to explore the effects of supervised aerobic exercise on card...

Addressing skeletal muscle mass loss is an important focus in oncology research to improve clinical outcomes, including cancer treatment tolerability and survival. Exercise is likely a necessary component of muscle-mass-preserving interventions for people with cancer. However, randomized controlled trials with exercise that include people with canc...

Background: Emerging evidence suggests that exercise interventions may improve sexual dysfunction, one of the most common and distressing long-term adverse effects of cancer treatment. Aim: The aim of this systematic review is to provide an overview of the effects of exercise on sexual dysfunction in prostate cancer patients. Methods: A systematic...

Background Urinary incontinence is one of the most clinically relevant side effects in the treatment of prostate cancer patients. The aim of this systematic review and meta-analysis was to analyze the specific exercise effects of supervised versus unsupervised pelvic floor muscle exercise (PFME) and exercise volume on urinary incontinence status af...

Background The purpose of this systematic review and meta-analysis was to evaluate the effect of wearable devices for improving physical activity and health-related outcomes in cancer survivors. Methods CINAHL, Cochrane, Ebscohost, MEDLINE, Pubmed, ProQuest Health and Medical Complete, ProQuest Nursing and Allied Health Source, ScienceDirect, and...

Purpose Exercise is efficacious for people living after a cancer diagnosis. However, implementation of exercise interventions in real-world settings is challenging. Implementation outcomes are defined as ‘the effects of deliberate and purposive actions to implement new treatments, practices, and services’. Measuring implementation outcomes is a pra...

Abstract Objective: To describe glioblastoma patients’ and carers’ perspectives of participating in a tailored exercise intervention during chemoradiotherapy. Methods: A pilot study was conducted to evaluate if exercise was a feasible and safe therapy in patients with glioblastoma undergoing chemoradiotherapy. Patients received a supervised exercis...

Background Cancer cachexia negatively affects quality of life (QoL) and increases symptom burden. A multimodal treatment approach may optimise cachexia outcomes, including QoL. We evaluated QoL and symptoms over time among patients attending a multidisciplinary clinical service for cancer cachexia. Methods Adults with cancer who attended the clini...

While performing aerobic exercise during chemotherapy has been proven feasible and safe, the efficacy of aerobic training on cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) in women with breast cancer undergoing chemotherapy has not yet been systematically assessed. Therefore, the objective of this work was to determine (a) the efficacy of aerobic training to impr...

Background Cancer cachexia is a muscle-wasting syndrome that results in physical function impairments and decreased survival. While body weight and muscle mass loss predict survival, the prognostic significance of physical function in this population is unclear. Thus, we evaluated the association between physical function, and other routine measure...

Growing evidence suggests that men exposed to androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) have an increased risk of cardiovascular disease. While exercise has shown to attenuate some adverse effects of ADT, the effects on cardiometabolic health have not been systematically evaluated. To evaluate the effect of exercise on cardiometabolic health in men with p...

Background: Every four minutes, an Australian is diagnosed with cancer. Early detection and effective treatment means that many of these people are living with the side effects of cancer and its treatment for numerous years. Objective: The aim of this article is to summarise the evidence examining the role of exercise in cancer care. Discussion...

Exercise is an efficacious therapy for many chronic diseases. Integrating efficacious evidence-based interventions (EBIs), such as exercise, into daily healthcare practice is a slow and complex pursuit. Implementation science seeks to understand and address this phenomenon by conducting studies about the methods used to promote the routine uptake o...

Background: Mental illness is a leading cause of the global burden of disease. Physical activity (PA) can improve physical and mental health outcomes for people with mental illness, yet routine implementation of PA within standard care remains ad-hoc. The reasons for this are unclear, although the dissonance between the evidence produced in researc...

Androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) is associated with considerable adverse side effects which compromise the health and wellbeing of many men with prostate cancer. Exercise has been identified as a therapy to help manage ADT-related treatment toxicities. This paper systematically reviews the scientific literature investigating the impact of exercis...

Background/aim: Breast cancer survivors often report a decrease in physical activity levels and quality of life. The aim of this study was to explore whether a "Kyusho Jitsu" martial arts intervention is feasible and can improve general well-being and physical activity levels in breast cancer survivors. Materials and methods: Breast cancer survi...

The combination of an increasing number of new cancer cases and improving survival rates has led to a large and rapidly growing population with unique health-care requirements. Exercise has been proposed as a strategy to help address the issues faced by cancer patients. Supported by a growing body of research, major health organizations commonly id...

PurposeAlthough physical activity has been demonstrated to increase cancer survival in epidemiological studies, breast cancer patients tend toward inactivity after treatment. Methods Breast cancer patients were quasi-randomly allocated to two different groups, intervention (IG) and control (CG) groups. The intervention group (n = 111) received an i...

Cancer patients with bone metastases have previously been excluded from participation in physical activity programmes due to concerns of skeletal fractures. Our aim was to provide initial information on the association between physical activity levels and physical and mental health outcomes in prostate cancer patients with bone metastases. Between...

Active surveillance (AS) is a strategy for the management of patients with low-risk, localized prostate cancer, in which men undergo regular monitoring of serum PSA levels and tumour characteristics, using multiparametric MRI and repeat biopsy sampling, to identify signs of disease progression. This strategy reduces overtreatment of clinically insi...

Despite advanced medical treatment options, many prostate cancer patients are still confronted with unfavorable physical and psychological burdens. Physical exercise has proven to be beneficial for prostate cancer patients, yet specific exercise offers are rare. The ProRehab Study aimed to evaluate the exercise program offered in rehabilitative pro...

Objective: To provide initial information on the prevalence of physical activity levels in prostate cancer patients with bone metastases and identify associations with physical and mental health outcomes. Methods: Self-reported physical activity levels (Modified Godin Leisure-Time Exercise Questionnaire), physical and mental health outcomes (SF-36...

IntroductionExercise has beneficial effects on cancer prevention as well as on cancer patients prognosis. To optimize the outcomes of exercise programs more knowledge about the underlying mechanisms is needed. This study investigates the short-term effects of a half marathon on immune cell proportions, pro-inflammatory cytokine levels and recovery...

Exercise has been proven to reduce the risk and progression of various diseases, such as cancer, diabetes and neurodegenerative disorders. Increasing evidence suggests that exercise affects the cytokine profile and changes distribution and function of tumor-competitive immune cells. Initial studies have shown that different exercise interventions a...

Introduction: Physical exercise has increasingly been recognized as important supportive therapy for cancer patients. Scientific studies applied a variety of methods for endpoint assessment. In order to improve comparability between studies, this paper provides recommendations for outcome assessment in the oncological setting. Discussed endpoints a...

Über 65 000 neu diagnostizierte Männer in Deutschland werden jährlich mit den Nebenwirkungen und Folgeerscheinungen einer Prostatakrebserkrankung und ihrer medizinische Behandlung konfrontiert. Sowohl körperliche als auch psychische und soziale Beeinträchtigungen haben einen negativen Einfluss auf die Lebensqualität. In den letzten Jahren haben sic...

Introduction Peripheral neuropathies (PNPs) encompass a large group of disorders of heterogeneous origin which can manifest themselves with sensory and/or motor deficits depending on the predominantly affected nerve fiber modality. It represents a highly prevalent disease group which can be associated with significant disability and poor recovery....

Aim of the work: Cancer and its commonly required continuous and intensive medical treatment have a profound and lasting effect on patients' physical, functional, emotional and social wellbeing. In this context the positive comprehensive effects of physical exercise interventions increasingly prove to be promising. The aim of this review is to der...

Most scientific studies regarding physical activity in cancer patients involve breast cancer patients. It is apparent that physical activity during medical treatment and aftercare is not only feasible and safe but also effective. Current studies clearly show that regular and specific endurance and/or resistance training can reduce a number of side...

Background: Exercise seems to minimize prostate cancer specific mortality risk and treatment related side effects like fatigue and incontinence. However the influence of physical activity on the immunological level remains uncertain. Even prostate cancer patients undergoing palliative treatment often have a relatively long life span compared to ot...

A growing knowledge regarding the influence of exercise on adverse physiologic outcomes associated with cancer and its treatment exists. Aside from its effects on psychological behavior, quality of life, and cancer-related fatigue, physical exercise can target physical and cardio-respiratory fitness, insulin regulation and metabolic syndrome, body...

Negative psychological and physical effects of prostate cancer and its medical treatment may persist many years after diagnosis. The influence of a long cycling tour on rehabilitative or health-related effects with prostate cancer patients has not yet been studied. In practice, physicians and therapists rarely recommend cycling to prostate cancer....

Introduction. Resistance training is rarely offered to hemato-oncological patients in the daily clinical routine due to its potential harmful impact on the cardiovascular system and the long periods of thrombocytopenia experienced by these patients. Therefore, it is important to determine a valid assessment to define and control resistance training...

Although treatment regimen have improved in the last few years, prostate cancer patients following a radical prostatectomy still experience severe disease- and treatment-related side effects, including urinary incontinence, erectile dysfunction and psychological issues. Despite high incidence rates and the common adverse effects there is a lack of...

Urinary incontinence, erectile dysfunction, fatigue as well as fears and depression rank among the most common complaints in patients with prostate cancer, resulting in a reduced participation in daily life and social isolation. Consequently, the quality of life of prostate cancer patients is strongly affected in a negative way. Numerous studies fo...

Das aus dem Griechischen stammende Wort „Kachexie“ bedeutet wörtlich übersetzt „schlechter Zustand“. Zugrunde liegt ein gestörter Metabolismus, der mit einer Reduktion der Fett- und Muskelmasse einhergeht, die Lebensqualität von Krebspatienten stark einschränkt und deren Prognose erheblich verschlechtert. Es existiert keine einheitliche Definition...

Jedes Jahr erkranken weltweit fast eine Millionen Frauen an Brustkrebs . In Deutschland erkrankt zurzeit jede neunte Frau an Brustkrebs. Mit 57.970 registrierten Erkrankungsfällen ist das Mammakarzinom die häufigste Krebserkrankung der Frau. Das mittlere Erkrankungsalter liegt bei 63,4 Jahren, und die 10-Jahres-Überlebensrate bei nicht-metastasiert...

Das Prostatakarzinom ist eine im höheren Lebensalter auftretende, zunächst langsam wachsende Krebserkrankung beim Mann, die vom Drüsengewebe der Prostata ausgeht.

Auch wenn der Einsatz körperlicher Aktivitäten in der Onkologie nicht mehr wegzudenken ist, so war es lange Zeit umstritten, ob oder gar inwiefern Bewegung als rehabilitative oder präventive Komponente bei Krebspatienten eingesetzt werden kann. Die Verunsicherung seitens der Ärzte und Therapeuten war groß, und man empfahl im Zweifelsfall Schonung u...

An allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) can have profound and lasting adverse effects on a patient's physical and psychological well-being. So far, only few studies have investigated the effectiveness of physical activity over the entire inpatient phase of an allogeneic HSCT. We performed a randomized controlled study to examin...