Original articleExercise Testing and Training in a Cancer Rehabilitation Program: The Advantage of the Steep Ramp Test
Section snippets
Participants
Thirty-seven patients treated curatively with chemotherapy were included in the study. Patient characteristics are depicted in table 1. Training started a minimum of 6 weeks after completing chemotherapy to counteract bias resulting from spontaneous recovery after chemotherapy.
The following patients were excluded: (1) patients who were not capable of performing basic skills like sitting or lying down, (2) patients who had cognitive disorders or severe emotional instability, and (3) patients who
Results
All patients selected for the study were able to complete the training program. All exercise tests were tolerated well without complication.
Discussion
The physical limitations after treatment for cancer vary widely among patients.34 Physical capacity may be affected by a variety of factors such as stage and type of cancer, previous history of physical activity, psychologic variables, type of treatment, and obesity.12 Consequently, there is a need to evaluate exercise tests used for assessing the initial physical fitness state, readjustment of the training load, and monitoring of the effects of a training intervention.
V̇o2max testing is widely
Conclusions
The steep ramp test has proved to be a valid, safe, and practical means for prescribing the training load and for monitoring training progress in the rehabilitation of cancer patients. Submaximal testing proves to have only limited value in the assessment of exercise capacity and is less feasible and less reliable than the steep ramp test. Consequently, a steep ramp test should be recommended in cancer rehabilitation programs for the individual assessment of training.
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