Effectiveness of an Individualized Program of Muscular Strength and Endurance Program for Improving Germ Cell Cancer

Background: Patients with testicular germ cell cancer (GCC) have a high cure rate, however impaired muscle function and fatigue are the most common complications among patients with GCC undergoing treatment with chemotherapy. Although exercise is widely recommended, information about physiopathological effects of cancer therapy in skeletal muscle is very limited. Our aim is to evaluate the effects of an individualized exercise program with aerobic training in water running on cancer-related fatigue. Methods/Design: The present study is a randomized controlled trial comparing an individualized program of muscular strength and endurance with aerobic training compared to a control group. The investigators will conduct this trial in patients undergoing chemotherapy, recruited by the Departament of Oncology of Virgen de la Victoria Hospital (Málaga). Patients will be included and evaluated before the first cycle of chemotherapy and assigned experimental or control group randomly. All variables will be measured at the beginning and at the end of a 8-week intervention by the same evaluator, who will hide the disposition of participants to each group. Besides, it will be monitoring during de following 6 months (24 weeks) after training for all outcome variables.