International Journal of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation
Open Access

Abstract

The University of Northern Colorado Cancer Rehabilitation Institute Treadmill Protocol Accurately Measures VO2 peak in Cancer Survivors

Daniel Yoon Kee Shackelford, Jessica Marlene Brown, Brent Michael Peterson, Jay Schaffer and Reid Hayward

Utilizing protocols to obtain peak oxygen consumption (VO₂peak) that were designed for the apparently health population may be inappropriate for cancer survivors (CS). The University of Northern Colorado Cancer Rehabilitation Institute (UNCCRI) has developed a treadmill protocol designed for CS to address this issue.
Objective: To assess the construct validity of VO₂peak prediction equations for the UNCCRI multistage treadmill protocol against obtained VO₂peak values in a population of CS.
Methods: Forty-five CS completed the UNCCRI VO₂peak treadmill protocol utilizing gas analysis (GAS) to obtain a true VO₂peak value. A VO₂peak value was also estimated from the gas analysis test (EstGAS) using American College of Sports Medicine’s (ACSM) prediction equations. Additionally, a separate UNCCRI treadmill protocol not using gas analysis (NoGAS) was conducted using ACSM VO₂ prediction equations to determine VO₂peak. An ANOVA was used to compare GAS, EstGAS, and NoGAS to assess the validity of the prediction equations versus the VO₂peak obtained from gas analysis. A paired t-test was utilized to compare treadmill times between GAS and NoGAS to assess differences attributed to the use of gas analysis. A Pearson correlation was used to analyze the relationship between GAS and EstGAS VO₂ peak values.
Results: VO₂ peak (mL•kg-1•min-1) did not significantly differ between GAS (26.8+7.0), EstGAS (26.2+6.5), and NoGAS (27.1+6.5) (P=0.2). Total treadmill time (min) differed significantly between GAS (12.1+2.8) and NoGAS (12.6+3.0; P<0.05). A significant, strong positive correlation was observed in VO₂peak values between GAS and EstGAS (r=0.9; P<0.001).
Conclusion: The UNCCRI treadmill protocol accurately predicts VO₂peak when using gas analysis and when used with ACSM’s prediction equations demonstrating its construct validity. The UNCCRI treadmill protocol offers a safe and alternative measure of VO₂peak for the cancer population.