# Testing Homebased ExeRcise Strategies to Improve Exercise Participation and CardioVascular Health in UndersErved Minority Patients with Cancer Undergoing Chemotherapy, the THRIVE Study

> **NIH NIH U54** · DANA-FARBER CANCER INST · 2021 · $168,791

## Abstract

SUMMARY/ABSTRACT
Profound disparities exist in comorbid disease risk and lifestyle behaviors during and following chemotherapy
in Hispanic and Black cancer patients, compared with European American counterparts. This includes declines
in cardiorespiratory fitness paired with cardiotoxic effects, placing minority cancer patients at a higher risk for
cardiovascular disease. Despite the beneficial effect of exercise training for cancer patients, rates of
participation in clinical cancer trials are low among disadvantaged and racial/ethnic minority groups, possibly
due to greater barriers and less access to exercise training. Therefore, the need for novel accessible and cost-
effective home-based exercise intervention aimed at the Hispanic and Black communities to better understand
physical activity interventions is crucial. We propose a pilot randomized trial to examine the effect of 16-week
supervised and unsupervised exercise interventions in sedentary, overweight or obese Hispanic and Black
cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy for the treatment of breast, colorectal, and prostate cancer. This
proposal will address the following aims: 1) examine whether the inventions will increase daily minutes of
exercise performed per week; 2) assess the effect of the inventions on cardiovascular risk factors; 3) determine
the effect of the inventions on patient-reported outcomes and physical function. We hypothesize that both
exercise groups will experience a significant increase in minutes of daily exercise per week, reductions in
cardiovascular disease risk, improved quality of life, and physical function when compared to Controls. This
study is innovative because a) we will conduct the study in high-need, understudied population, b) this is the
first study to employ a novel and achievable intervention for a minority population receiving chemotherapy, c)
integration of novel physiological variables for the intervention. Our proposal addresses the priority focus of this
funding opportunity announcement through the design and implementation of an exercise intervention for an
underserved, understudied, vulnerable population- Hispanic and Black patients receiving chemotherapy. The
Co-PIs Drs. Dieli-Conwright (DFCI) and Yan (UMB) will bring together their expertise in exercise science,
cancer survivorship, and cardiovascular physiology to successfully execute this project. This collaboration is
uniquely made possible by the UMB-DF/HCC Partnership with the resources supported by the NCI CPACHE.
Findings from this study will generate new knowledge about the effects of exercise intervention and provide
guidance towards improving the quality and treatment tolerability in this population of underserved, vulnerable
patients with cancer.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10328010
- **Project number:** 2U54CA156732-11
- **Recipient organization:** DANA-FARBER CANCER INST
- **Principal Investigator:** CHRISTINA DIELI-CONWRIGHT
- **Activity code:** U54 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2021
- **Award amount:** $168,791
- **Award type:** 2
- **Project period:** 2010-09-27 → 2024-08-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10328010

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10328010, Testing Homebased ExeRcise Strategies to Improve Exercise Participation and CardioVascular Health in UndersErved Minority Patients with Cancer Undergoing Chemotherapy, the THRIVE Study (2U54CA156732-11). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-22 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10328010. Licensed CC0.

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