Pilot Study to Evaluate Targeted Physical Activity Among Pancreatic Cancer Patients Receiving Neoadjuvant Chemotherapy
Start Date
6/22/2026
Completion Date
4/30/2032
Summary
Patients with pancreatic cancer receiving neoadjuvant chemotherapy often experience functional decline, treatment interruptions, and clinical deterioration, and these risks may be amplified when frailty is present.
Detailed Description
Patients with pancreatic cancer receiving neoadjuvant chemotherapy often experience functional decline, treatment interruptions, and clinical deterioration, and these risks may be amplified when frailty is present. Frailty is increasingly recognized as an important predictor of worse treatment tolerance and perioperative outcomes in pancreatic cancer populations, including higher postoperative complication risk. The proposed targeted physical therapy program is a supervised, individualized physical activity program designed to improve strength and functional performance using low-intensity, resistance-based exercise training. In this proposal, the study will evaluate the effects of the targeted physical exercise program in frail pancreatic cancer patients receiving neoadjuvant chemotherapy by generating key data on feasibility and safety and by providing preliminary estimates of change in functional outcomes to inform the design of a future, adequately powered study.
Eligibility Criteria
Age Range: 18 years to No maximum
Interventions
36-session targeted physical exercise program delivered twice weekly
Conditions
Locations
University of Illinois Clinical Cancer Center
Chicago, Illinois 60612
United States