OBJECTIVE: To determine the efficacy of a three-month resistance training programme on the mobility, muscle strength and lean body mass of patients with pancreatic cancer-induced cachexia. DESIGN: Randomized controlled trial. SETTING: Elsahel Teaching Hospital, outpatient clinic of the Faculty of Physical Therapy, Cairo, Egypt. PARTICIPANTS: Patients with pancreatic cancer-induced cachexia. INTERVENTIONS: Participants were randomized to the resistance training group (n = 20) and control group (n = 20). MAIN MEASURES: Outcomes including mobility, muscle strength and lean body mass were measured at baseline, three months after surgical resection and 12 weeks after intervention. RESULTS: The mean (SD) age was 51.9 (5.03) years and body mass index was 21.1 (1.13) kg/m2; 65% of patients were male. Compared to the control group, the resistance training group showed significant improvement in mobility: 400-m walk performance (270.3 to 256.9 seconds versus 266.4 to 264.2 seconds, respectively) and chair rise (13.82 to 12.53 seconds versus 13.77 to 13.46 seconds, respectively). Similarly, muscle strength was also significantly improved in the resistance training group than in the control group; we observed increase in peak torque of knee extensors (p = 0.004), elbow flexors (p = 0.001) and elbow extensors, improvement in lean mass of the upper limb (6.28 to 6.46 kg versus 6.31 to 6.23 kg, respectively) and lower limb (16.31 to 16.58 kg versus 16.4 to 16.31 kg, respectively). CONCLUSION: A three-month resistance training improved the mobility of patients with pancreatic cancer-induced cachexia. Muscle strength and lean body mass also improved.

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