PACE Study : Physical Activity Intervention Study to Improve Cognitive Late Effects in Childhood Cancer Brain Tumor Survivors
Basic Requirements to Participate:
• Your child is ages 8 through 18 years
• Your child had a brain tumor that was treated with radiation at least 1 year ago
• Your child has difficulties with attention, memory, processing speed, and/or learning
• Ability to read and understand English
Letter from the Principal Investigator:
Dear Momcology families,
Researchers at the National Cancer Institute are evaluating whether an innovative home physical activity program improves cognitive late effects (such as difficulties with attention, memory, and processing speed) in children treated with radiation for a brain tumor. Previous research has shown that increases in physical activity can result in improvements in the same brain functions and cognitive skills affected by radiation.
At the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in Bethesda, MD, participants will complete a baseline evaluation, consisting of a short cognitive assessment, fitness test, and blood draw. They will be randomly assigned to either the group that gets the 12-week physical activity program (using an activity monitor and website to track one’s progress) or a waitlist group that does their usual physical activity first. After 12 weeks, participants in both groups will return to the NIH to repeat the same tests done at baseline. Then the group first doing their usual activities will get to do the physical activity program while the other group will be asked to continue doing the program for 12 more weeks on their own. All participants will complete a final brief cognitive assessment at the NIH and questionnaire about the study.
We hope that the home program, which we will plan to fit to your child’s favorite physical activities, will help to improve cognitive functions, as well as physical health, and be fun to do. We also will offer a small compensation after completing each follow-up evaluation, and children will get to keep their activity monitors when they finish the study.
If you might be interested in participating in this study and would like more information, please email (woltersp@mail.nih.gov) or call (240-760-6040) me. I look forward to hearing from you.
Sincerely,
Pam Wolters, PhD
Director, Health Psychology and Neurobehavioral Research Program
Pediatric Oncology Branch, National Cancer Institute
