EXERT-BCHC: a prospective study of exercise regimens after breast cancer to improve skeletal muscle hypertrophy and conditioning
7 affiliations
- 1Allegheny Health Network Cancer Institute Exercise Oncology and Resiliency Center, Pittsburgh, PA United States
- 2Department of Radiation Oncology, Allegheny Health Network, 12311 Perry Highway, Wexford, PA 15090 USA
- 3Department of Exercise Physiology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA United States
- 4Department of Medical Oncology, Medical University of South Carolina, Okatie, SC United States
- 5Department of Kinesiology, SUNY Cortland, Cortland, NY United States
- 6Cardiovascular Institute, Allegheny Health Network, Pittsburgh, PA United States
- 7Department of Radiation Oncology, WellStar Paulding Medical Center, Hiram, GA United States
Abstract
Purpose: As increased muscle mass and decreased fat mass are associated with improved survival after breast cancer treatment, herein we compare two regimens for conditioning and skeletal muscle hypertrophy (SMH) to assess their impact on body composition and VO2 max.
Methods: Fifteen participants were prospectively assessed during four exercise regimens for changes in body composition and VO2 max before and after each regimen. Participants underwent four weeks of conditioning, followed by four weeks of SMH training. After a four-week washout period, they underwent conditioning followed by SMH.
Results: In total, 15 participants completed the 20-week regimen. Prior to enrollment, all participants had previously completed at least 3 months of supervised, dose-escalated resistance training, with ongoing pre-regimen resistance training for median duration of 11.32 months (IQR). Median age at enrollment was 51 years, with 73% of participants having stage I-II breast cancer. Most patients underwent mastectomy (60%), surgical axillary management via sentinel lymph node biopsy (73%), adjuvant radiation therapy (60%), anti-estrogen systemic therapy (73%), and had not completed any prior cytotoxic systemic therapy (67%). 13% of participants had baseline lymphedema. During completion of the regimen, while all participants experienced muscle soreness, no adverse events were otherwise reported.
From baseline through regimen month 5, increases in muscle mass and decreases in body fat were observed, though did not meet statistical significance. SMH-focused exercise blocks, in comparison to conditioning blocks, were associated with non-significant trends toward greater VO2 max (p = 0.068) and metabolism (p = 0.417).
Conclusion: SMH-focused resistance training regimens, which uniquely optimize muscle mass, combat sarcopenia, improve balance and coordination, and enhance bone density, do not appear less efficacious than conditioning-focused regimens with respect to metabolism or VO₂ max.
Trial registration: ClinicalTrials.gov NCT07023887, registered 6/5/2025.
Supplementary Information: The online version contains supplementary material available at https://doi.org/10.1186/s40959-026-00551-6.
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BibTeX
@article{champ2026exertbchc,
title = {{EXERT-BCHC: a prospective study of exercise regimens after breast cancer to improve skeletal muscle hypertrophy and conditioning}},
author = {Colin E. Champ and Chris Peluso and Dominic Sulpizio and Christie Hilton and Jared Rosenberg and Valentyna D. Ivanova and David J. Carpenter},
journal = {Cardio-oncology},
year = {2026},
month = aug,
doi = {10.1186/s40959-026-00551-6},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1186/s40959-026-00551-6},
note = {CC BY-NC-ND 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - EXERT-BCHC: a prospective study of exercise regimens after breast cancer to improve skeletal muscle hypertrophy and conditioning
AU - Colin E. Champ
AU - Chris Peluso
AU - Dominic Sulpizio
AU - Christie Hilton
AU - Jared Rosenberg
AU - Valentyna D. Ivanova
AU - David J. Carpenter
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/08/11
JO - Cardio-oncology
DO - 10.1186/s40959-026-00551-6
UR - https://doi.org/10.1186/s40959-026-00551-6
AB - Purpose: As increased muscle mass and decreased fat mass are associated with improved survival after breast cancer treatment, herein we compare two regimens for conditioning and skeletal muscle hypertrophy (SMH) to assess their impact on body composition and VO2 max. Methods: Fifteen participants were prospectively assessed during four exercise regimens for changes in body composition and VO2 max before and after each regimen. Participants underwent four weeks of conditioning, followed by four weeks of SMH training. After a four-week washout period, they underwent conditioning followed by SMH. Results: In total, 15 participants completed the 20-week regimen. Prior to enrollment, all participants had previously completed at least 3 months of supervised, dose-escalated resistance training, with ongoing pre-regimen resistance training for median duration of 11.32 months (IQR). Median age at enrollment was 51 years, with 73% of participants having stage I-II breast cancer. Most patients underwent mastectomy (60%), surgical axillary management via sentinel lymph node biopsy (73%), adjuvant radiation therapy (60%), anti-estrogen systemic therapy (73%), and had not completed any prior cytotoxic systemic therapy (67%). 13% of participants had baseline lymphedema. During completion of the regimen, while all participants experienced muscle soreness, no adverse events were otherwise reported. From baseline through regimen month 5, increases in muscle mass and decreases in body fat were observed, though did not meet statistical significance. SMH-focused exercise blocks, in comparison to conditioning blocks, were associated with non-significant trends toward greater VO2 max (p = 0.068) and metabolism (p = 0.417). Conclusion: SMH-focused resistance training regimens, which uniquely optimize muscle mass, combat sarcopenia, improve balance and coordination, and enhance bone density, do not appear less efficacious than conditioning-focused regimens with respect to metabolism or VO₂ max. Trial registration: ClinicalTrials.gov NCT07023887, registered 6/5/2025. Supplementary Information: The online version contains supplementary material available at https://doi.org/10.1186/s40959-026-00551-6.
SN - 2057-3804
ER -