NCT04676009: ERICA

Feasibility of an Acute Physical Exercise Before Treatment Infusion for Metastatic Lung Cancer Patients

Completed NA Last updated 21 February 2024

What this trial tests

NA trial testing Exercise arm : in Carcinoma, Non-Small-Cell Lung in 26 participants. Completed in 11 January 2024.

Timeline

21 January 2021

Primary endpoint
31 December 2023

11 January 2024

Quick facts

Lead sponsor	Centre Leon Berard
Phase	NA
Status	Completed
Study type	INTERVENTIONAL
Allocation	randomized
Design	parallel
Masking	none
Primary purpose	supportive care
Enrollment	26
Start date	21 January 2021
Primary completion	31 December 2023
Estimated completion	11 January 2024
Sites	1 location across France

Drugs / interventions tested

• Exercise arm :

Conditions studied

• Carcinoma, Non-Small-Cell Lung — all drugs for Carcinoma, Non-Small-Cell Lung →

Sponsor

Centre Leon Berard — full company profile →

Who can join

Adults 18 to 80, any sex, with Carcinoma, Non-Small-Cell Lung. Patients with the condition only — healthy volunteers not accepted.

Sponsor's own description

Because of metastatic Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer (mNSCLC) and its treatments, patients suffer from numerous symptoms such as dyspnea, muscle atrophy, pain, fatigue, loss of appetite, altered physical condition and lung function, which may further impair the patient's overall condition. Nevertheless, it has been suggested that physical exercise could improve response to treatment at the clinical level due to its known effects on the immune system. Moreover, preclinical studies have shown that exercise performed during chemotherapy administration could result in physiological benefits such as improved intra-tumoral infusion and drug delivery. The ERICA study aims to assess the feasibility of an acute physical exercise immediately before immunotherapy and chemotherapy administration in patients with mNSCLC.

Publications & conference data

8 peer-reviewed publications reference this trial (live from Europe PMC):

1. Physical activity and checkpoint inhibition: association with toxicity and survival.
   Verheijden RJ, Cabané Ballester A, Smit KC, van Eijs MJM, et al · · 2024 · cited 22× · PMID 38001030 · DOI 10.1093/jnci/djad245
2. Immunosenescence, Physical Exercise, and their Implications in Tumor Immunity and Immunotherapy.
   Yu X, Pei W, Li B, Sun S, et al · · 2025 · cited 13× · PMID 39897036 · DOI 10.7150/ijbs.100948
3. Can Exercise Enhance the Efficacy of Checkpoint Inhibition by Modulating Anti-Tumor Immunity?
   Brummer C, Pukrop T, Wiskemann J, Bruss C, et al · · 2023 · cited 12× · PMID 37760634 · DOI 10.3390/cancers15184668
4. Effect of acute aerobic exercise before immunotherapy and chemotherapy infusion in patients with metastatic non-small-cell lung cancer: protocol for the ERICA feasibility trial.
   Gouez M, Pérol O, Pérol M, Caux C, et al · · 2022 · cited 11× · PMID 35393316 · DOI 10.1136/bmjopen-2021-056819
5. Integrative Oncology Approaches to Supporting Immune Checkpoint Inhibitor Treatment of Solid Tumours.
   Fuller-Shavel N, Krell J. · · 2024 · cited 7× · PMID 38194216 · DOI 10.1007/s11912-023-01492-4
6. Chronic exercise training intensity, immune cells, and cancer outcomes: a scoping review.
   Kang DW, Courneya KS, Swartz MC, Maleki Vareki S, et al · · 2026 · cited 1× · PMID 41795834 · DOI 10.1093/jncics/pkag021
7. Physical activity and glioblastoma: a paradigm shift in neuro-oncology therapy.
   Xie L, Wang F. · · 2025 · cited 1× · PMID 40809025 · DOI 10.3389/fonc.2025.1638060
8. Co-Designing Lung Cancer Rehabilitation Services for People Treated With Immunotherapy.
   Edbrooke L, Pearson E, Granger CL, Denehy L. · · 2026 · PMID 41937460 · DOI 10.1111/hex.70660