Research team
Expertise
Lore Dams is a physiotherapist, manual therapist and obtained her PhD in biomedical sciences at the University of Antwerp (MOVANT) and KU Leuven (GRID) in 2021. Her doctoral project focused on unraveling pain after surgery for breast cancer from a biopsychosocial perspective. In order to optimize prevention and treatment, she conducted research on the effect of pain education immediately following breast cancer surgery, as well as evaluation tools (quantitative sensory testing) and risk factors for pain after breast cancer treatment. As a postdoctoral researcher, she brings her clinical experience as a physiotherapist in oncological rehabilitation to both her teaching and research. Her research investigates the impact of lifestyle interventions (particularly physical activity) on mitigating chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy and other cancer-treatment related side effects. Committed to improving patient care, she strives for interdisciplinary approaches and effective transmural communication.
Towards the prescription of personalised exercise interventions for the prevention of chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy.
Abstract
Chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy (CIPN) is a debilitating and prevalent side effect of neurotoxic cancer treatment. The most common CIPN symptoms are sensory and motor symptoms in the hands and/or feet. CIPN may interfere with daily activities as well as with cancer treatment. Although there is proof of concept for exercise in the prevention of CIPN, the quality of the evidence is rather low. As a result, exercise is not included in the current international evidence-based guidelines for the prevention of CIPN (as no other strategy) and exercise is not routinely recommended or prescribed in clinical practice for patients starting chemotherapy. An additional gap is knowledge on the barriers and facilitators of an exercise program during chemotherapy treatment for the prevention of CIPN. This knowledge is crucial for optimizing exercise interventions and adherence, as well as for making integration of exercise into clinical practice more effective in context of the prevention of CIPN. Therefore, the primary goal of the current project is to study the effect of an exercise program on symptoms of CIPN in breast and colon cancer patients receiving taxane- or platinum-based chemotherapy. The exercise program is patient-tailored based on exercise guidelines in oncology. A prospective randomized controlled trial with short (3 months) and long-term (6 months) follow up will be conducted with self-reported CIPN symptoms (QLQ-CIPN20, sensory subscale) as primary outcome. Secondary scientific objectives are the effect of the exercise program on CIPN signs (objective examination), mental and social functioning (self-reported) and relative dose intensity of chemotherapy (objective examination). Tertiary scientific objective is to perform a process evaluation. The aim of this process evaluation is to investigate the barriers and facilitators of the exercise program in patients receiving taxane- or platinum-based chemotherapy by examining adherence to the exercise program as well as how patients and healthcare providers perceive the implementation of the exercise program. Such process evaluation may aid in identifying determinants of exercise program attrition and offering recommendations for valorisation.Researcher(s)
- Promoter: Dams Lore
- Co-promoter: De Groef An
- Co-promoter: Meeus Mira
Research team(s)
Project type(s)
- Research Project
Efficacy and neuro-immune working mechanisms of a novel multimodal exercise intervention to reduce chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy: THE CIPN-EX TRIAL.
Abstract
Chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy (CIPN) is a debilitating and prevalent side effect of chemotherapy. The most common symptoms are sensory changes in the hands and/or feet. CIPN may interfere with daily activities as well as with the continuation of cancer treatment. Despite the significance of CIPN, there are no evidence-based interventions available that aim to reverse the underlying mechanisms of CIPN. Multimodal exercise is a promising strategy, however, clinical evidence in attenuating CIPN symptoms is limited. It would be groundbreaking if a novel multimodal exercise program consisting of neurodynamic exercises and aerobic and resistance training is effective in attenuating CIPN. Therefore, the goal of this project is to gain in-depth knowledge on how a multimodal exercise program (neurodynamic + aerobic and resistance training) may attenuate CIPN in patients receiving taxane-or platinum-based chemotherapy by investigating 1) the effect of exercise on CIPN symptoms and signs, 2) on CIPN biomarkers (Neurofilament Light Chain, Brain Derived Neurotrophic Factor, Nerve Growth Factor, inflammatory cytokines) and 3) whether changes in CIPN biomarkers caused by exercise are associated with attenuation of symptoms of CIPN. A prospective randomized controlled trial with mediation analyses will be conducted with self-reported CIPN symptoms as primary outcome and CIPN signs as secondary outcome (quantitative sensory testing), both at short-and long-term.Researcher(s)
- Promoter: Meeus Mira
- Co-promoter: De Groef An
- Fellow: Dams Lore
Research team(s)
Project type(s)
- Research Project