Clinical Trials

This phase II trial tests whether an exercise intervention works to improve cognitive function in breast cancer survivors. Many breast cancer survivors report cancer-related cognitive impairment, which this has recently become a priority in clinical research due to its dramatic impact on daily functioning, quality of life, and long-term health. Aerobic exercise has the potential to improve cognitive function and brain health in older adults and is recommended as a safe, tolerable, and accessible complementary therapy for breast cancer survivors. This study aims to understand the effects of physical activity compared with health education on memory, attention, and brain health in women with breast cancer. Study findings may help researchers design more programs that can improve memory, attention, and brain health in other women with breast cancer.

Physical activity plays an important role in reducing the adverse effects of cancer treatment. There are few studies using prehabilitation to improve peri-operative outcomes in patients undergoing cancer surgery. This study will pilot a program of structured activity for women undergoing neoadjuvant chemotherapy with the intent to improve their physical state prior to surgical intervention and thus improve outcomes.

It has been shown that patients with advanced ovarian cancer may suffer from high levels of cancer –specific distress, depression and anxiety. It has also been proposed that psychological resilience can favorably affect psychological and treatment-related outcomes in cancer patients. Most current studied mindfulness-based interventions are limited by the time commitment required by the patient, which is difficult for patients with advanced cancer undergoing treatment, therefore we have created a virtual program that is more easily accessible by patients. 

Frailty is thought to be mediated by senescent cells and their dynamic secretome, referred to as the senescence-associated secretory phenotype (SASP). Senescent cells contribute to age-related tissue deterioration, inflammation, and fibrosis. A group of novel frailty biomarkers obtained at the time of diagnosis has been examined in advanced OC patients. Preliminary data show that these biomarkers strongly correlate with the clinical frailty phenotype, and define a frail subgroup of patients with higher treatment related morbidity and worse survival. These markers may represent important surrogate clinical trial endpoints, as well as deepen the understanding of aging in women with ovarian cancer. In this pilot, these markers and other surrogate endpoints for future novel translational research in the science of aging will be explored.