Grant: Project Grant

Breast cancer is the second most common cancer in women and is an ideal disease for studying aging and cognitive effects of cancer. The number of women living for five or more years beyond diagnosis and treatment has increased steadily. One of the most often reported long-term effects of toxic cancer treatments is cognitive impairment. Cognitive dysfunction and impaired brain health are likely to be accelerated in breast cancer survivors due the potential additive effects of cancer treatment and normative aging. In this study, we propose to conduct a 6-month randomized controlled exercise trial (aerobic + resistance training) in 354 middle-aged and older breast cancer survivors treated with chemotherapy and/or radiotherapy to compare the efficacy of aerobic and resistance exercise and an active control group (i.e., stretching/toning) on cardiorespiratory fitness, cognitive function, and brain structure and function. Participants in the intervention conditions will meet 3 days/week for remotely-delivered exercise for 6 months. A comprehensive state-of-the-science battery of cognitive function, cardiorespiratory fitness, and brain imaging measures will be assessed at baseline, 6 months, and 1-year after intervention completion. The findings have considerable public health relevance in that it aims to determine whether exercise training can effectively remediate cognitive dysfunction and impaired brain health. This population are disproportionately more likely to suffer from cognitive impairments, and reversing such impairments is likely to improve health-related quality of life.