Effects of exercise and educational programs on long-term quality of life, anxiety, and depression in breast cancer survivors: an exploratory secondary analysis of the Setouchi breast project-10 randomized controlled trial.

In 30 seconds

This exploratory secondary analysis of a randomized controlled trial examined exercise and education for 342 patients with stage 0–III breast cancer within one year of completing treatment. Participants received usual care, physician-led education, or structured exercise, with quality of life and psychological outcomes assessed through 12 months. At 2 months, more participants in the education group than in usual care improved on the FACT-B Trial Outcome Index (51% vs. 32%, p = 0.003). Both intervention groups showed sustained improvement in the breast cancer-specific subscale, but global quality of life and HADS outcomes showed no consistent between-group differences.

Key findings

• At 2 months, FACT-B Trial Outcome Index improvement occurred in 51% of the education group versus 32% of usual care (p = 0.003).
• Longitudinal analyses found sustained improvement in the breast cancer-specific subscale in both education and exercise groups.
• Global health-related quality of life and HADS scores showed no consistent between-group differences.
• MID analyses suggested deterioration in some global domains at 12 months in the exercise group.

Why it matters

Survivorship interventions may affect disease-specific quality of life without producing consistent gains in broader quality-of-life or psychological measures. The findings highlight the value of assessing these domains separately and suggest that education may offer a relatively resource-efficient approach, while the exploratory results warrant cautious interpretation.

What to keep in mind

This was an exploratory secondary analysis, and follow-up was limited to 12 months. The abstract reports no consistent between-group differences in global quality of life or psychological outcomes.