Long-Term Changes in Physical Activity Among Cancer Survivors After Concurrent Chemoradiation Therapy: A Prospective...

Wearable devices have recently been utilized to assess physical activity of cancer patients before and during treatment with curative-intent concurrent chemoradiotherapy. Data on long-term changes in activity following chemoradiotherapy are lacking.

Cancer survivors previously enrolled in prospective clinical trials using continuous wearable-based activity monitoring during curative-intent chemoradiation therapy at a single institution were enrolled in this follow-up study and provided with new wearable devices. Daily step count averages over the week following study entry were compared with step count averages prior to the initiation of chemoradiation therapy.

Seventeen participants were enrolled on this study, with a mean interval of 5.4 years between receipt of chemoradiotherapy and entry to this follow-up study. The most common cancer diagnoses were non-small cell lung cancer (n = 9, 53%) and head and neck cancer (n = 3, 18%). Fourteen participants (82%) had lower step count averages at follow-up compared with baseline. The median relative change in physical activity was -43%, corresponding to a median annualized rate of step count change of -12% per year.

Physical activity was substantially lower at long-term follow-up compared with pretreatment baseline among cancer survivors treated with curative-intent chemoradiation therapy.