# The impact of high intensity interval training in a diverse group of cancer survivors: CAPABLE, a pilot study PMID: 37449003 Journal: Preventive medicine reports Published: 2023-06-22 Authors: Beebe-Dimmer JL, Finlay DG, Ruterbusch JJ, Baird T, Simon MS, Abrams J, Harper FWK, Podgorski I, Heath EI ## Question What changes in body composition, serum cardiometabolic markers, health-related quality of life, emotional response to exercise, and fitness assessments occur over 12 weeks among a diverse group of cancer survivors participating in the CAPABLE high-intensity interval and strength training pilot program? ## Summary This single-arm pilot introduced 48 cancer survivors to a 12-week, coach-led program combining high-intensity interval and strength-building exercise. Among 37 adherent participants, body weight, BMI, body fat percentage, HbA1c, quality of life, emotional response to exercise, and trainer-assessed strength and endurance generally improved from baseline to exit. Because there was no control group and analyses focused on adherent participants, the study supports feasibility and signals of benefit rather than causal effectiveness. ## Population - Medically cleared adult invasive cancer survivors, not currently regular exercisers, participating in a Detroit-area supervised exercise pilot. - Sample size: 48 - Age: Adherent participants mean 58.5 years, range 38-79 years. - Sex: Adherent participants 12 male (32%) and 25 female (68%). - Fitness level: Not currently participating in any regular fitness program; baseline functional fitness varied and movements were individually scaled. - Health status: Cancer survivors, mostly breast and prostate cancer among adherent participants, with frequent comorbidities including hypertension, arthritis, high cholesterol, diabetes, and heart attack history. ## Methodology - Single-arm pilot exercise intervention with baseline-to-exit comparisons. - 12 weeks - In-person coach-led sessions at two performance sites in Detroit and the surrounding Metropolitan area. ## Protocol - CAPABLE high-intensity interval and strength training. - Modality: Mixed CrossFit-style functional strength and high-intensity interval conditioning. - Intensity: High-intensity interval and strength training; exact target not reported. - Session duration: 1 hour. - Frequency: 3 sessions/week. - Program length: 12 weeks. - Progression: Individual scaling and modifications; specific progression rules not reported. ## Outcomes ### Program adherence Status: mixed 37 of 48 enrolled participants met the adherence definition. Adherent proportion 77%; 11 participants were non-adherent or withdrew. ### BMI Status: improved Mean BMI decreased over 12 weeks among participants with body-composition data. N=31; 32.8 to 31.7 kg/m2; mean change -1.1 (95% CI -1.7 to -0.1); p<0.001. ### Weight Status: improved Mean body weight decreased over 12 weeks. N=31; 210 to 203 lb; mean change -7 lb (95% CI -10 to -4); p<0.001. ### Percent body fat Status: improved Mean body fat percentage decreased over 12 weeks. N=30; 38.3% to 35.5%; mean change -2.8 percentage points (95% CI -4.2 to -1.5); p<0.001. ### HbA1c Status: improved HbA1c decreased over 12 weeks among participants with blood data. N=20; 5.7% to 5.3%; mean change -0.4 percentage points (95% CI -0.5 to -0.2); p<0.001. ### Glucose and lipids Status: mixed Glucose, total cholesterol, HDL, LDL, and VLDL did not significantly change; triglycerides decreased numerically but not significantly. Glucose p=0.487; total cholesterol p=0.824; triglycerides p=0.105; HDL p=0.711; LDL p=0.734; VLDL p=0.298. ### FACT-G health-related quality of life Status: improved Total FACT-G and each individual domain improved. Total score 85.7 to 95.2; mean change +9.5; p<0.001. Physical p=0.005, social p=0.007, emotional p=0.005, functional p=0.027. ### Emotional response to exercise Status: improved The study-specific emotional response to exercise score improved. 40.7 to 44.2; mean change +3.5; p=0.010. ## Practical Insights - For medically cleared cancer survivors, supervised and individually scalable interval-plus-strength training may be feasible for many but not all participants. - Adherence barriers in a real-world survivorship program included work conflicts, treatment complications, illness, caregiver responsibilities, program difficulty, and unrelated injury. - This paper is more useful for clinical implementation context than for exact HIIT programming because interval structure and achieved intensity were not reported. - Quality-of-life changes may be practically meaningful, but causal attribution requires a controlled trial. ## Limitations - Single-arm design without randomized or nonrandomized control group. - Pilot sample size. - Outcomes reported primarily among adherent participants. - Exact HIIT work-rest structure, warm-up/cool-down, and intensity targets were not reported. - Blood draws were optional and serum-marker sample sizes were smaller. - Intervention combined HIIT, strength training, coaching, and social support, so the independent contribution of HIIT is unclear. - No longer-term follow-up reported. ## Safety And Adherence - Written physician clearance was required before consent. - Patients with widely metastatic cancer to bone or brain were excluded. - One non-adherent or withdrawn participant had an injury unrelated to the program. - Two non-adherent or withdrawn participants had complications of cancer treatment, and one had illness. - The article does not report a formal adverse-event count. ## Original Sources - [PubMed](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37449003/) (pubmed) - [DOI](https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pmedr.2023.102288) (doi) - [PMC full text](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10336780/) (full text) ## Agent Guidance Preserve the paper-level scope of this note. Do not generalize beyond the population, protocol, measured outcomes, and limitations above.