Thryve & NCT Heidelberg: Redefining Cancer Therapy Through Movement

It’s well known that cancer patients who stay active can live longer, experience fewer recurrences, and tolerate treatments better. But for years, exercise was seen as optional or even discouraged during chemotherapy. "Sport nach Krebs" (Exercise after Cancer) is flipping that narrative. Developed through the oncological exercise therapy group at the National Center for Tumor Diseases (NCT) Heidelberg, this initiative integrates structured physical training into oncology care. To realize its potential at scale, the program required more than trainers and treadmills; it needed a secure, connected health infrastructure. That’s where Thryve came in.

The Partnership

The "Sport nach Krebs" initiative, led by Dr. Joachim Wiskemann and the AG Onkologische Sport- und Bewegungstherapie at NCT Heidelberg, aims to embed exercise into every stage of cancer care, before, during, and after treatment. The program is based on clinical trials and meta-analyses demonstrating that physical activity can reduce cancer-specific mortality by up to 41% and improve overall survival by up to 48%. Furthermore, structured exercise improves quality of life, reduces fatigue and depression, and increases therapy tolerance.

But turning clinical insight into standard practice means building a system that scales beyond individual centers. NCT and its partners needed a way to connect data from patients’ training programs with treatment teams, monitor compliance, and secure outcomes data for long-term evaluation. Thryve provided the secure digital infrastructure to support this.

The Challenge

While the benefits of exercise in oncology are scientifically established, practical implementation at scale faces persistent barriers:

• Fragmented data and oversight: Training effects were hard to measure in real-world settings without centralized data.
• Lack of monitoring during home-based training: Many patients exercised unsupervised, with no way to assess intensity, consistency, or effect.
• Variable access and participation: Exercise programs differed widely across cancer centers, making evaluation difficult.
• Need for secure, medical-grade infrastructure: Handling sensitive health and activity data demanded a compliant, privacy-respecting solution.

The Solution: Connected Training with Secure Infrastructure

To meet these challenges, "Sport nach Krebs" integrated Thryve’s health data platform as part of its exercise monitoring and evaluation framework. Thryve enabled:

• Real-time data capture from wearables, fitness apps, and training logs
• Objective tracking of adherence and intensity during aerobic and resistance programs
• Feedback loops between patients and care teams to adjust intensity or exercises based on fatigue, recovery, or treatment phase
• Centralized, GDPR-compliant data storage and analysis to generate scientific evidence and enable quality control

With Thryve’s support, the program moved from siloed, paper-based logs to a connected model where training behavior informs therapy decisions.

The Results

The program shows that embedding exercise into oncology care is not only possible but essential:

• Improved survival outcomes: Studies cited in the initiative demonstrate a 28% improvement in overall survival and a 24% improvement in disease-free survival among exercising patients during chemotherapy.
• Enhanced therapy tolerance: Chemotherapy completion rates improved, with resistance-trained patients completing treatment at a rate of nearly 90% versus 84% in the control group.
• Better patient-reported outcomes: Fatigue, physical function, and emotional well-being all improved in participants.

By pairing world-class clinical science with robust digital infrastructure, "Sport nach Krebs" is transforming cancer care into a model that moves with the patient, powered by data, science, and movement.