High Intensity Functional Training for Patients Diagnosed with Cancer:A Study Evaluating the Feasibility of a Pragmatic InterventionOACSCD

Purpose To investigate the feasibility of a municipality-based 16-week group-based HIFT-program(e.g.CrossFit)as a part of the physical rehabilitation of cancer survivors at different stages of cancer treatment.Methods Non-randomised clinical feasibility study.Younger adult patients(age 18-44 years)diagnosed with cancer who were referred to rehabilitation between August 2019 to December 2019 were eligible for inclusion.The group-based HIFT intervention was designed as a 16-week program with two sessions weekly(1.25 h each).The intervention program was not developed with pre-defined progression in terms of gradually added resistance,intensity,or volume during the 16 weeks period but the physiotherapist leading the sessions was trained in scalability.Feasibility was evaluated as retention,adher-ence,and accrual rates.Data on quality of life and cancer-related fatigue were measured EORTC QLQ-C-30 and evaluated using paired t-tests or Wilcoxon signed-rank test.Results Eighty-three percent of the eligible patients were included and initiated the HIFT program.However,25%of the patients were not adherent to the intervention and only 34% of the patients were still adherent to the intervention after 4 months.Nonetheless,a significant improvement in cancer specific HRQoL was found from baseline[Mean=53.4,95%CI(47.6,59.1)]to the end of the intervention[Mean=66.3,95%CI(60.8,71.9)].Conclusion It is possible to recruit patients diagnosed with cancer to a municipality-based HIFT rehabilitation program,however,adherence to the intervention is found to be difficult for the majority of the patients.