The aim of this current randomised controlled trial was to evaluate the effects of a home-based physical activity (PA) intervention on cardiorespiratory fitness in breast cancer survivors. Thirty-two post-adjuvant therapy breast cancer survivors (age 52 +/- 10 years; BMI 27.2 +/- 4.4 kgm2) were randomised to a six-month home-based PA intervention with face-to-face and telephone PA counselling or usual care. Cardiorespiratory fitness and self-reported PA were assessed at baseline and at six-months. Participants had a mean relative VO2max of 25.3 +/- 4.7 ml/kg/min, which is categorised as "poor" according to age and gender matched normative values. Magnitude-based inference analyses revealed likely at least small beneficial effects (effect sizes >= 0.20) on absolute and relative VO2max (d = 0.44 and 0.40, respectively), and total and moderate PA (d = 0.73 and 0.59, respectively) in the intervention compared to the usual care group. We found no likely beneficial improvements in any other outcome. Our home-based PA intervention led to likely beneficial, albeit modest, increases in cardiorespiratory fitness and self-reported PA in breast cancer survivors. This intervention has the potential for widespread implementation and adoption, which could considerably impact on post-treatment recovery in this population.

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