Dr
Poorna Anandavadivelan
(Division of Nursing, Department of Neurobiology, Care Sciences, and Society, Karolinska Institute, and Karolinska Comprehensive Cancer Center, Karolinska University Hospital, Stockholm, Sweden)
Purpose
To effectively integrate exercise into cancer rehabilitation for survivors, families, and caregivers, it is essential to understand barriers and facilitators influencing patient-centered communication and shared decision-making about exercise. Both survivor and health-care professional (HCP) perspectives matter and may differ in how they view the role of exercise, the challenges in discussing it, and the support needed. Understanding these barriers and facilitators will support development of evidence-based exercise-oncology communication standards that fit existing healthcare systems.
Methods
As part of the LION-COM sub-study within the multinational, EU funded PREFERABLE 2 study, totally ten focus groups were conducted in Germany, the Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, and Sweden from April – December 2024. In each country, one focus group was conducted with survivors who had completed primary curative cancer treatment and one with HCPs working within cancer care. The transcripts of the semi-structured discussions were transcribed verbatim, translated to English, and analyzed inductively using reflexive thematic analysis.
Results
We developed four main themes from the focus groups with survivors: Bringing up the topic, The silent gaps behind the conversation, Opening the door to more effective communication, Need for more than just advice. Parallely, four main themes were developed from HCP focus groups: Exercise conversations compete with the realities of cancer care, Unclear ownership and professional boundaries create a communication gap, Trust and quality shapes meaningful conversations, Cultural and personal norms impact deeper communication.
Conclusions and Implications
While survivors seek proactive, personalized conversations, HCPs report systemic constraints, unclear roles, and cultural factors that hinder dialogue. Overcoming these major communication gaps might facilitate integrating exercise into routine care. Addressing these gaps requires clear guidelines, structured communication strategies, and role clarification to empower HCPs and foster shared decision-making. These insights can inform evidence-based communication standards for exercise oncology, aligning with healthcare systems and improving rehabilitation outcomes.
Keywords
Exercise communication, exercise oncology, shared-decision making, patient-centered
| Abstract submitters declaration |
yes
|
| Conflict of Interest & Ethical Approval |
yes
|
Dr
Poorna Anandavadivelan
(Division of Nursing, Department of Neurobiology, Care Sciences, and Society, Karolinska Institute, and Karolinska Comprehensive Cancer Center, Karolinska University Hospital, Stockholm, Sweden)
Prof.
Alberto Alves
(Associação de Investigação de Cuidados de Suporte em Oncologia, Vila Nova de Gaia, Portugal, Research Center in Sport Sciences, Health and Human Development (CIDESD), Physical Education and Sport Sciences Department, University of Maia, Portugal)
Ms
Alina Kias
(Division of Physical Activity, Cancer Prevention and Survivorship, German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ) and National Center for Tumor Diseases (NCT), Heidelberg, Germany, Medical faculty, University of Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany,)
Prof.
Anne May
(Department of Psychosocial Research and Epidemiology, Netherlands Cancer Institute, Amsterdam, the Netherlands; Julius Center for Health Sciences and Primary Care, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands)
Dr
Anouk Hiensch
(Julius Center for Health Sciences and Primary Care, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands)
Mr
David Binyam
(Julius Center for Health Sciences and Primary Care, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands)
Ms
Eloísa Fernandes
(Associação de Investigação de Cuidados de Suporte em Oncologia, Vila Nova de Gaia, Portugal)
Ms
Esther C.E. de Jongh
(Department of Psychosocial Research and Epidemiology, Netherlands Cancer Institute, Amsterdam, the Netherlands)
Mr
Jon Belloso
(Gipuzkoa Cancer Unit, OSID-Onkologikoa, Biogipuzkoa, Osakidetza, San Sebastián, Spain)
Prof.
Karen Steindorf
(Division of Physical Activity, Cancer Prevention and Survivorship, German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ) and National Center for Tumor Diseases (NCT), Heidelberg, Germany)
Ms
Mari Feli González
(Gipuzkoa Cancer Unit, OSID-Onkologikoa, Biogipuzkoa, Osakidetza, San Sebastián, Spain)
Prof.
Martijn Stuiver
(Department of Psychosocial Research and Epidemiology, Netherlands Cancer Institute, Amsterdam, the Netherlands)
Dr
Melissa Kotte
(Division of Nursing, Department of Neurobiology, Care Sciences, and Society, Karolinska Institute, and Karolinska Comprehensive Cancer Center, Karolinska University Hospital, Stockholm, Sweden)
Prof.
Neil Aaronson
(Department of Psychosocial Research and Epidemiology, Netherlands Cancer Institute, Amsterdam, the Netherlands)
Prof.
Yvonne Wengström
(Division of Nursing, Department of Neurobiology, Care Sciences, and Society, Karolinska Institute, and Karolinska Comprehensive Cancer Center, Karolinska University Hospital, Stockholm, Sweden)
There are no materials yet.
