Case Control Study
Copyright ©The Author(s) 2018. Published by Baishideng Publishing Group Inc. All rights reserved.
World J Clin Oncol. Feb 10, 2018; 9(1): 1-12
Published online Feb 10, 2018. doi: 10.5306/wjco.v9.i1.1
Does low volume high-intensity interval training elicit superior benefits to continuous low to moderate-intensity training in cancer survivors?
Kellie Toohey, Kate Pumpa, Andrew McKune, Julie Cooke, Katrina D DuBose, Desmond Yip, Paul Craft, Stuart Semple
Kellie Toohey, Kate Pumpa, Andrew McKune, Julie Cooke, Stuart Semple, Discipline of Sport and Exercise Science, Faculty of Health, University of Canberra, Canberra 2605, Australia
Kellie Toohey, Kate Pumpa, Andrew McKune, Julie Cooke, Stuart Semple, Research Institute for Sport and Exercise, University of Canberra, Canberra 2605, Australia
Kellie Toohey, Stuart Semple, Health Research Institute, University of Canberra, Canberra 2605, Australia
Andrew McKune, Discipline of Biokinetics, Exercise and Leisure Sciences, School of Health Sciences, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban 4000, South Africa
Katrina D DuBose, the College of Health and Human Performance, East Carolina University, Greenville, NC 27858, United States
Desmond Yip, Paul Craft, ANU Medical School, the Australian National University, Canberra 2605, Australia
Author contributions: Toohey K performed all experiments; Pumpa K, McKune A, Cooke J, DuBose KD, Yip D, Craft P and Semple S provided vital reagents and analytical tools and were also involved in editing the manuscript; Toohey K co-ordinated and provided the collection of all the human material; Toohey K and Semple S designed the study and wrote the manuscript.
Institutional review board statement: National Statement on Ethical Conduct in Human Research (National Health and Medical Research Council, 2007), Human research Ethics Committee, No. 13-153.
Informed consent statement: This approval is only granted if the project meets the ethical guidelines of the National Health and Medical Research Council. Individual forms which the patients signed are not able to be provided as this is against privacy laws and ethical agreements.
Conflict-of-interest statement: No potential conflicts of interest relevant to this article were reported.
Data sharing statement: No additional data are available.
Open-Access: This article is an open-access article which was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Correspondence to: Kellie Toohey, BSc, MA, Assistant Professor, Discipline of Sport and Exercise Science, Faculty of Health, University of Canberra, University Drive, Canberra 2605, Australia. kellie.toohey@canberra.edu.au
Telephone: +61-2-62068873
Received: November 23, 2017
Peer-review started: November 23, 2017
First decision: December 27, 2017
Revised: December 31, 2017
Accepted: January 23, 2018
Article in press: January 23, 2018
Published online: February 10, 2018
Processing time: 77 Days and 3.9 Hours
Abstract
AIM

To determine the impact of low volume high-intensity interval training (LVHIIT) and continuous low to moderate-intensity exercise training (CLMIT) on cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk and health outcomes in cancer survivors.

METHODS

Sedentary cancer survivors (n = 75, aged 51 ± 12 year) within 24 months of diagnosis, were randomised into three groups for 12 wk of LVHIIT (n = 25), CLMIT (n = 25) or control group (n = 25). The exercise intervention involved 36 sessions (three sessions per week). The LVHIIT group performed 7 x 30 s intervals (≥ 85% predicted maximal heart rate) with a 60 s rest between intervals, and the CLMIT group performed continuous aerobic training for 20 min (≤ 55% predicted maximal heart rate) on a stationary bike. Outcome variables were measured at baseline and at 12 weeks and analysed using a 3 x 2 (group x time) repeated measures ANCOVA to evaluate main and interaction effects.

RESULTS

Significant improvements (time) were observed for seven of the 22 variables (ES 0.35-0.97, P ≤ 0.05). There was an interaction effect (P < 0.01) after 12 wk in the LVHIIT group for six-minute walk test (P < 0.01; d = 0.97; 95%CI: 0.36, 1.56; large), sit to stand test (P < 0.01; d = -0.83; 95%CI: -1.40, -0.22; large ) and waist circumference reduction (P = 0.01; d = -0.48; 95%CI: -1.10, 0.10; medium). An interaction effect (P < 0.01) was also observed for quality of life in both the LVHIIT (d = 1.11; 95%CI: 0.50, 1.72; large) and CLMIT (d = 0.57; 95%CI: -0.00, 1.20; moderate) compared with the control group (d = -0.15; 95%CI: -0.95, 0.65; trivial).

CONCLUSION

Low-volume high-intensity training shows promise as an effective exercise prescription within the cancer population, showing greater improvements in cardio-respiratory fitness, lower body strength and waist circumference compared with traditional CLMIT and control groups. Both LVHIIT and CLMIT improved quality of life. A proposed benefit of LVHIIT is the short duration (3 min) of exercise required, which may entice more cancer survivors to participate in exercise, improving health outcomes and lowing the risk of CVD.

Keywords: High-intensity exercise; Health; Oncology; Exercise prescription

Core tip: Low-volume high-intensity training is not commonly used in the rehabilitation of Cancer Survivors. In this study it shows promise as an effective exercise prescription, with greater improvements in cardio-respiratory fitness, lower body strength and waist circumference compared with traditional continuous low to moderate-intensity exercise training (CLMIT) and control groups. Low volume high-intensity interval training (LVHIIT) and CLMIT improved quality of life. A proposed benefit of LVHIIT is the short duration (3 min) of exercise required, which may entice more cancer survivors to participate in exercise, improving health outcomes and lowing the risk of cardiovascular disease.