Breast cancer patients taking a specific hormone treatment often gain weight and feel tired. Researchers are testing whether a personalized program combining exercise, healthy eating, and emotional support can help. This small pilot study will follow 30 premenopausal women with hormone-sensitive breast cancer who are receiving ovarian function suppression (a treatment that temporarily stops the ovaries from working). Half will get the special 12-week program, while the other half will follow standard health guidelines. The study will measure changes in weight, body composition, fitness, and how patients feel over one year. If successful, this approach could help thousands of women manage side effects from their cancer treatment.

The Quick Take

  • What they studied: Whether a personalized program of exercise, nutrition coaching, and mental health support can help breast cancer patients manage weight gain and fatigue caused by their hormone treatment.
  • Who participated: 30 premenopausal women (still having periods) with hormone-sensitive breast cancer who are receiving ovarian function suppression treatment at a major hospital in Spain.
  • Key finding: This is a pilot study, so results aren’t available yet. The study is designed to test whether this approach is safe and feasible before running a larger study. Researchers will measure weight, body composition, fitness, and quality of life over 12 months.
  • What it means for you: If you’re a premenopausal woman with hormone-sensitive breast cancer receiving this treatment, this research suggests that a combined approach of exercise, nutrition, and emotional support may help manage side effects like weight gain and fatigue. However, this is still being tested, so talk to your doctor about whether it’s right for you.

The Research Details

This is a pilot study, which means it’s a small test run before doing a bigger study. Researchers are comparing two groups: one group gets a personalized 12-week program with exercise training, nutrition counseling, and psychological support tailored to each person’s needs. The other group receives standard health recommendations from the World Health Organization. The study will follow patients for one year total, with measurements taken at the start, after 12 weeks, and again at 6 and 12 months.

The researchers chose 30 patients based on what they knew they could recruit from their hospital. This small size is typical for pilot studies, which are meant to test whether an idea works before investing in a larger, more expensive study.

This type of study design is considered strong because it randomly assigns people to groups, which helps ensure fair comparison. However, the small number of participants means results should be viewed as preliminary.

Breast cancer patients receiving ovarian function suppression often experience unwanted side effects like weight gain, reduced fitness, and emotional challenges. Understanding whether a personalized, multi-part approach can help is important because it could improve patients’ quality of life during treatment. This pilot study will show whether this type of intervention is practical and safe enough to test in a larger group.

This study has several strengths: it’s randomized (reducing bias), it measures multiple important outcomes (weight, fitness, emotional health), and it has ethics committee approval. However, it’s a small pilot study with only 30 participants, so results are preliminary. The study is open-label, meaning participants know which group they’re in, which could influence results. The study hasn’t been completed yet, so no results are available to evaluate.

What the Results Show

This is a protocol paper describing the study plan, not the actual results. The study is still ongoing and expected to take about 15 months to complete. The main goal is to measure changes in weight and body composition (the amount of muscle versus fat) using a scale and a special device that measures body composition. Researchers will also track fitness level, heart health, muscle strength, and how well patients can perform daily activities.

The study will collect information about quality of life, tiredness, physical activity levels, and any side effects from the cancer treatment. Blood tests will measure various health markers. Researchers will also look at inflammatory markers (signs of inflammation in the body) that may be related to cancer and overall health.

Because this is a pilot study, the main purpose is to see if the program is feasible and safe, not to prove it works. The results will help researchers decide whether to run a larger study.

Beyond weight and body composition, the study will examine several other important health measures: cardiorespiratory fitness (how well the heart and lungs work during exercise), heart rate variability (a sign of heart health), muscle strength, and physical function. The study will also assess psychological status, nutritional intake, and quality of life. Researchers will track any side effects from the cancer treatment and compare them between groups. They’ll also measure inflammatory markers in the blood, which may give clues about how the intervention affects the body’s inflammatory response.

Previous research has shown that multimodal interventions (programs combining exercise, nutrition, and psychological support) are safe and effective in cancer patients. This study builds on that evidence by testing whether a personalized version of this approach works specifically for premenopausal women receiving ovarian function suppression. The study is novel because it focuses on this specific group and this specific treatment, which hasn’t been thoroughly studied before.

This is a small pilot study with only 30 participants, so results may not apply to all patients. The study is open-label, meaning participants know which group they’re in, which could influence their behavior and how they report results. The study is conducted at a single hospital in Spain, so results may not apply to other populations or healthcare systems. Because this is a pilot study, it’s not designed to prove the intervention works—it’s designed to test whether it’s feasible and safe. A larger study would be needed to confirm benefits.

The Bottom Line

This research is still in progress, so no final recommendations can be made yet. However, the study design suggests that a combined approach of personalized exercise, nutrition counseling, and emotional support may help manage side effects of ovarian function suppression. If you’re receiving this treatment, discuss with your oncology team whether participating in a structured exercise and nutrition program might benefit you. Standard recommendations to stay active and eat a healthy diet remain important.

This research is most relevant to premenopausal women with hormone-sensitive breast cancer who are receiving or considering ovarian function suppression treatment. Oncologists and cancer care teams should follow this research as it may inform future treatment recommendations. Family members and caregivers may also benefit from understanding the challenges these patients face. This research is less relevant to postmenopausal women or those with other types of cancer.

The full study will take about 15 months to complete. If the pilot is successful, a larger study would likely take 2-3 years. Even after that, it would take additional time for results to be published and for recommendations to change in clinical practice. Realistic timeline for seeing potential benefits from such an intervention would be weeks to months of consistent participation.

Want to Apply This Research?

  • Track weekly exercise minutes (goal: 150 minutes moderate activity), weight weekly, and body measurements monthly. Also track energy levels and mood daily on a 1-10 scale to monitor fatigue and emotional well-being.
  • Users could set a goal to complete 3 structured exercise sessions per week, log daily meals to monitor nutrition, and complete a brief mood/fatigue check-in each evening. The app could provide reminders for exercise sessions and suggest healthy recipes based on nutritional goals.
  • Create a dashboard showing trends in weight, fitness progress, mood, and fatigue over weeks and months. Compare current metrics to baseline to visualize progress. Set milestone celebrations (e.g., 4 weeks of consistent exercise) to maintain motivation. Share progress summaries with healthcare providers quarterly.

This research describes a pilot study that is still ongoing and has not yet produced results. This information is for educational purposes and should not replace medical advice from your oncology team. If you have breast cancer and are receiving or considering ovarian function suppression treatment, discuss any exercise, nutrition, or wellness programs with your doctor before starting. Individual responses to treatment vary, and what works for one person may not work for another. Always consult with your healthcare provider before making changes to your cancer treatment plan or starting new health interventions.