Physical Activity Promotion and Exercise Testing in Cancer Survivorship PhD Defense Hester Julia van der Wiel

Physical activity (PA) showed beneficial effects on the patients physical and mental wellbeing during and after cancer treatment. Additionally, it reduces the risk on recurrence of cancer. These insights, in combination with the growing number of people living with and after cancer, emphasize the importance to integrate PA in cancer (post) treatment. During my PhD I studied the association between PA and (the treatment of) cancer and the role of (online) interventions. PA is associated with a reduction of side effects after treatment, such as fatigue and muscle weakness. Since resuming PA after a treatment trajectory is not self-evident for every patient, the right support on PA maintenance in the (post)trajectory is needed. Over the past century, more and more digital innovations have been introduced to support in healthcare. eHealth interventions to guide patients in a good lifestyle are of interest because of their accessibility and costs. In 2015, a patient portal (MijnAVL) which includes a PA intervention (IPAS) to support patients to start exercising (more) after treatment was developed at the Antoni van Leeuwenhoek (AVL) hospital. After a feasibility study showed IPAS to be effective, IPAS was further developed to contribute to cancer rehabilitation. However, offering support in starting and/or resuming PA requires attention to effectiveness, proper guidance and monitoring, accessibility and costs. In order to map these different elements, I adressed questions related to the characteristics of those who decide not to participate in the IPAS intervention (PABLO-trial), the effectiveness of the IPAS intervention, the added value of IDPAS on the blended care offer and its cost-effectiveness. In the second part of my thesis I focus on the influence of anthracycline-chemotherapy on physiological parameters during exercise and the influence of symptom burden on the estimation of cardiopulmonary fitness after the chemotherapy treatment. On the 22th of April at 12.30 i will defend my work. My defense can be followed online through this link.