Evidence Explorer · MS-N278 · Supportive physical care · Appraised November 8, 2026
The NUTRIMOUV phase II trial found better exercise-tolerance success with quadriceps stimulation during treatment followed by home cycling, on top of nutritional care. Quality of life did not improve, and retrospective registration plus the combined program limit certainty.
Evidence at a glance
- Population: 70 people with localized head-and-neck squamous-cell carcinoma receiving curative radiotherapy or chemoradiotherapy; 33 assigned to rehabilitation.
- Intervention: quadriceps electrical stimulation three times weekly during treatment, then home ergocycle training three times weekly for 12 weeks; both groups received nutrition care.
- Primary success definition: at least 40% longer endurance time or sustaining activity for 30 minutes at three months.
- Result: success in 68% (95% CI 48–84) versus 27% (95% CI 16–48); quality of life did not differ.
- Evidence label: promising phase II combination-program evidence.
What was studied
Median endurance time changed by +54% with rehabilitation and −55% with standard care. The trial was multicenter and funded by the French Ministry of Health/Institut National du Cancer.
The study was registered retrospectively as NCT02135185. The program combined electrical stimulation, cycling and nutritional care, so the effect of each component cannot be isolated.
What this evidence cannot establish
Improved endurance does not establish fewer treatment interruptions, better swallowing, less weight loss, longer survival or tumor response. The sample was small, quality-of-life results were null, and safety details were not fully reported in the abstract.
Safety and practical context
Head-and-neck treatment can bring dehydration, weight loss, mucositis, anemia, infection and cardiopulmonary limitations. Electrical stimulation needs skin and implanted-device review; cycling intensity should be adapted to falls, fatigue and treatment toxicity.
Questions for the care team
- Is the goal endurance, daily function or treatment tolerance, and how will it be measured?
- Is neuromuscular stimulation safe with my devices, skin and neurologic status?
- How will nutrition, hydration, swallowing and exercise plans be coordinated?
Sources and identifiers
- NUTRIMOUV randomized phase II trial — PMID 41400716
Funding and conflicts: French Ministry of Health/Institut National du Cancer grant 2010-229. The authors declared no competing interests.
Source access and dates: Original PubMed records and available full texts were checked November 8, 2026. Last literature search November 8, 2026.
Educational evidence summary, not individualized medical advice. Supportive-care outcomes do not demonstrate tumor response, recurrence prevention or longer survival.
