Major study launched to explore diet and exercise benefits for metastatic breast cancer patients

Two hundred people are being recruited for a major study investigating how diet and exercise can help those living with metastatic breast cancer.

Led by Professor Marina Reeves from The University of Queensland’s Faculty of Medicine, researchers from UQ and Cancer Council Queensland will compare current treatment supports with a 12-month diet and exercise program.

Currently, support targeted to people with metastatic breast cancer is more limited than what is available to those who have an early-stage diagnosis.

They may or may not receive support through the hospital or they can access up to five Medicare reimbursed allied health sessions across a year, but we know that’s not enough.

The financial burden of going through cancer treatment is large, so many patients won’t be able to afford additional out of pocket expenses for dietitians and exercise physiologists.”

Professor Marina Reeves, The University of Queensland’s Faculty of Medicine

The Optimising Care: Supporting you to be active and eat well study will collect evidence to be translated into policy and practice, as well as assess the cost effectiveness of the interventions.

“There is currently limited intervention research in the area of metastatic breast cancer outside of medical treatments, and we hope to show these supports in addition to conventional treatments are cheap and provide added benefit,” Professor Reeves said.

“There are more drug treatments now, so a lot of patients are living longer but with numerous side effects and poor quality of life.

“As treatment progresses muscle mass is reduced, which impacts the body’s ability to fight disease and cope with chemotherapy and targeted treatments like immunotherapy.

“We’re trying to see if through diet and exercise, we can help people living with metastatic disease to maintain their muscle mass and physical function for as long as possible,” she said.

Participants randomly allocated to the intervention group will have 10 free sessions with an exercise physiologist and 10 with a dietitian.

The program will be delivered online so patients from across Queensland can join the trial.

The trial has been funded by the Australian Government’s Medical Research Future Fund (MRFF) and is being conducted in partnership with the McGrath Foundation’s Metastatic Breast Care Nurses, Breast Cancer Network Australia and Cancer Alliance Queensland.

Visit the Optimising Care study website for more information or to register an interest in participating.

Recruitment will be open until late 2025.