Qualitative Study of Breast Cancer and Lymphoma Patients Participating in a Physical Activity Intervention: The Case for Tailored Physical Activity.

The main reasons participants enrolled in the physical activity intervention were altruism and provider recommendation.

• 18 breast cancer and lymphoma patients receiving potentially cardiotoxic chemotherapy completed semi-structured interviews
• Participants were on average 53 years old (SD = 15)
• The sample was 50% female (n = 9) and predominantly identified as White (n = 15, 83%)
• Mostly non-Hodgkin Lymphoma patients (n = 11, 61%) comprised the sample
• Interviews focused on reasons for enrollment or dropout, perceptions of study personnel, experiences within the study interventions, and barriers to intervention adherence

Participants reported completing the study because of intrinsic motivation, ease of participation, and positive study experiences.

• Semi-structured interviews were audio recorded and analyzed using an integrative synthesis of the data
• Key points and potential themes were identified from the qualitative data
• Positive study experiences were identified as a factor supporting study completion
• Ease of participation was cited as a facilitator of retention

Participants reported favorable perceptions of the study interventions and study staff.

• Perceptions of study personnel were a specific focus area of the semi-structured interviews
• Experiences within the study interventions were also explored in the interviews
• Positive study-staff relationships were identified as potentially enhancing study adherence and retention

Barriers to adherence to the physical activity intervention included symptom burden and lack of motivation.

• Barriers to intervention adherence were a specific focus of the semi-structured interview guide
• Symptom burden was identified as a barrier, consistent with challenges of exercising during chemotherapy
• Lack of motivation was also reported as a barrier to adherence
• These barriers were identified among patients receiving potentially cardiotoxic chemotherapy

Messages to enhance altruism and collaboration with providers may be important recruitment tools for cancer exercise trials.

• Altruism was one of the main reasons cited for enrollment
• Provider recommendation was the other main reason for enrollment
• These findings suggest that recruitment strategies should leverage both patient-centered motivations and oncology provider networks

Developing positive study-staff relationships and delivering tailored, flexible interventions may enhance study adherence and retention in cancer exercise trials.

• The study involved a tailored physical activity (PA) intervention
• The qualitative data were used to optimize adherence and retention for a future randomized clinical trial
• These strategies were described as contributing to the successful implementation of cancer exercise trials
• The intervention was designed for breast cancer and lymphoma patients receiving potentially cardiotoxic chemotherapy