The first results from the PREFERABLE-EFFECT trial were unveiled at the San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium (SABCS), held December 5-9, 2023. Ā Anne May gave a presentation to a large audience and additionally explained more about the findings in a press conference, in which 3 specific abstracts (out of the 1900 abstracts submitted) were chosen to be discussed.
We enrolled 357 patients with metastatic breast cancer to the PREFERABLE-EFFECT trial, a collaboration between institutions in Germany, Poland, Spain, Sweden, the Netherlands, and Australia. The outcomes of this trial showed that those who took part in our nine-month structured exercise program reported less fatigue compared to those who did not undergo the exercise program. Also, those assigned to the exercise intervention reported an improved quality of life, including an increase in social functioning, decrease in pain, and decrease in shortness of breath.
In addition, we found that the nine-month intervention was not only effective but may have encouraged longer-term compliance as well. Based on these findings, we suggest that physicians and nurses should routinely recommend supervised exercise to patients with metastatic breast cancer and that policymakers and insurance companies should ensure cost coverage for exercise programs.
For the full press release, please check our publications. You can also read more on the ASCO Post.