A controlled randomized study examining the effects of exercise therapy on patients undergoing haematopoietic stem cell transplantation

Pretransplantation assessments and symptom profiles: predicting transplantation-related toxicity and improving patient-centered outcomes

With the advent of reduced-intensity conditioning regimens and improvements in supportive care, hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT) has become increasingly available to older adults and medically vulnerable populations with hematologic diseases. However, adverse outcomes including long-term treatment-related distress, disability (frailty), and death remain important concerns in this population. In other areas of oncology, comprehensive geriatric assessments have been used to stratify patients for treatment-related risk, and patient-reported outcomes (PROs) have helped in understanding treatment-related toxicity from a patient perspective. However, these powerful tools have not yet become widely used in HCT. Here, we review the theories and available data that support the development of pretreatment functional assessments and longitudinal PRO sampling in HCT. We discuss the potential for these techniques to improve transplantation outcomes through risk stratification, interventional studies, and predictive models that incorporate genetic and biomarker data. Predicting and understanding long-term transplantation-related toxicity through functional assessments and PROs will be critical to calculating the risk/benefit ratio of aggressive therapies in older patient populations, and we contend that functional assessments and PRO sampling should become standard parts of the routine evaluation of HCT patients.

Physical activity for patients undergoing an allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation: benefits of a moderate exercise intervention

An allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) can have profound and lasting adverse effects on a patient's physical and psychological well-being. So far, only few studies have investigated the effectiveness of physical activity over the entire inpatient phase of an allogeneic HSCT.

PURPOSE

We performed a randomized controlled study to examine the influence of a controlled moderate exercise program starting parallel to chemotherapeutic conditioning and total body irradiation on the patient's physical and psychological constitution.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

Forty-seven patients undergoing an allogeneic HSCT were randomly assigned to an exercise group (EG) or a control group (CG). While the EG took part in an endurance and activity of daily living-training twice a day, the CG received the clinic's standard physiotherapy program once a day.

RESULTS

Significant differences and/or trends in favor of the EG were observed regarding the primary endpoint endurance performance (P=0.002), muscular strength (P=0.022), fatigue (P=0.046), and emotional state (P=0.028) without posing an additional risk for the individual.

CONCLUSION

The results show that the training program is feasible and seems to have positive influences on physical performance and quality of life in patients undergoing an allogeneic HSCT. However, further studies are necessary to confirm these results.

Effects of a partly self-administered exercise program before, during, and after allogeneic stem cell transplantation

Before, during, and after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (allo-HSCT), patients experience considerable physical and psychologic distress. Besides graft-versus-host disease and infections, reduced physical performance and high levels of fatigue affect patients' quality of life. This multicenter randomized controlled trial examined the effects of a partly self-administered exercise intervention before, during, and after allo-HSCT on these side effects. After randomization to an exercise and a social contact control group 105 patients trained in a home-based setting before hospital admission, during inpatient treatment and a 6- to 8-week period after discharge. Fatigue, physical performance, quality of life, and physical/psychologic distress were measured by standardized instruments at baseline, admission to, and discharge from hospital and 6 to 8 weeks after discharge. The exercise group showed significantly improvement in fatigue scores (up to 15% improvement in exercise group vs up to 28% deterioration in control; P < .01-.03), physical fitness/functioning (P = .02-.03) and global distress (P = .03). All effects were at least detectable at one assessment time point after hospitalization or repeatedly. Physical fitness correlated significantly with all reported symptoms/variables. In conclusion, this partly supervised exercise intervention is beneficial for patients undergoing allo-HSCT. Because of low personnel requirements, it might be valuable to integrate such a program into standard medical care.

Impact of walking ability and physical condition on fatigue and anxiety in hematopoietic stem cell transplantation recipients immediately before hospital discharge

PURPOSE

This study analyzed the influence of walking ability and physical condition on fatigue and anxiety at hospital discharge in patients receiving hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT).

METHOD

A total of 25 subjects were assessed after receiving HSCT until discharge. The Japanese Cancer Fatigue Scale and the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory were used to assess fatigue and anxiety. Relationships of fatigue and anxiety status respective to walking ability variables: leg muscle strength (knee extension, ankle plantar flexion and ankle dorsiflexion strength) and average number of daily steps, and physical condition variables (food intake, febrile days, body mass index, and serum albumin) were examined with correlations and stepwise multiple regression analysis.

RESULTS

Subjects with later achievement of adequate food intake after HSCT (β = 0.62) and weaker knee extension strength per body mass at discharge (β = -0.42) reported higher fatigue (adjusted R(2) = 0.53, p = 0.00). Knee extension strength per body mass at discharge was correlated with an average step-count from 51 to 80 days after HSCT (r = 0.51, p = 0.01). In subjects whose Body Mass Index was above 23.5, weaker ankle dorsiflexion strength per body mass prior to transplantation reported higher fatigue at discharge (adjusted R(2) = 0.97, p = 0.00). Subjects with later achievement of food intake after HSCT (β = 0.59) and more days with fever reported higher anxiety (adjusted R(2) = 0.47, p = 0.00).

CONCLUSION

Post-HSCT fatigue was affected by a delay in adequate food intake and diminished muscle strength. The results of this study show the importance of encouraging walking for maintaining muscle endurance.

The relationship between ambulatory step activity, self-reported physical functioning and standardised timed walking in patients with haematological malignancies

PURPOSE

This cross-sectional study investigated the degree of association between the results of ambulatory step activity monitoring (SAM), self-reported physical functioning (SRPF) and the 6-minute standardised walking test (6-MWT) in cancer patients with haematological malignancies.

METHOD

Assessments of ambulatory SAM, SRPF and 6-MWT were assessed in 102 patients up to 122 days (mean 78  ±  35) after haematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT). To determine the association between measures of walking, the Pearson product moment correlation coefficient (r) including the 95%CI and the r(2) were calculated. Simple linear regression analyses were performed to estimate the ambulatory step activity from SRPF and the 6-MWT.

RESULTS

The average age was 47 years (± 12) and body mass index 23.4 (± 4). The correlations were low between ambulatory SAM outputs and SRPF (ranging from -0.32 to 0.34, p < 0.01), and very low between SAM outputs and 6-MWT, (ranging from 0.21 to 0.24). The correlation between SRPF and the 6-MWT was low (0.33, p < 0.01). The correlation between SRPF and the 6-MWT was low (0.33, p < 0.01). The 95%CIs were quite narrow around r. The shared variance (r(2)) between the SAM and SPPF ranged between 4% and 11% and the shared variance between the SAM and 6-MWT ranged between 0.5% and 18%. Linear regression yielded weak relationships and large standard errors of estimate between the SAM, SRPF and 6-MWT.

CONCLUSIONS

SRPF and the 6-MWT do not reflect daily walking activity. In clinical use (e.g. to evaluate the effects of a rehabilitation program), ambulatory step activity outputs can be considered an additional outcome to assess day-to-day walking activity in patients with haematological cancer after HSCT.

Health-related quality of life following allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation

It is common knowledge that an allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) will have an enormous impact on the lives of transplant recipients and their families. Once an appropriate donor is identified, the curative potential of this treatment often drives the decision to proceed knowing that there will be intense physiologic toxicities and adverse effects on health-related quality of life (HRQL). Twenty-five years ago, HRQL was identified as an efficacy parameter in the evaluation of new anticancer drug therapy. Overall, the evidence suggests that an allogeneic HSCT has a significant impact on the overall HRQL of recipients, which is a result of decrements across all dimensions, including a significant symptom profile. The degree of impact on overall HRQL and the multiple dimensions varies across the transplant trajectory. Specific HRQL dimensions, such as physical function and symptoms, are easily incorporated into a clinician's assessment whereas other dimensions (eg, psychosocial) are less commonly integrated. The translation of HRQL results to improve clinical practice is not well established. Clinicians are often uncertain when to assess the scope of HRQL and how to interpret the information in a clinically meaningful way. The purpose of this review is to highlight the quality-of-life effects of allogeneic HSCT and discuss application into clinical practice.

Health-related quality of life following haematopoietic cell transplantation: patient education, evaluation and intervention

Health-related quality of life (QOL) is a vital concern in the pre-treatment consent process and post-treatment care of recipients of haematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT). We propose that comprehensive care of such patients requires an integration of knowledge of the impact of HCT on QOL, assessment of QOL, as well as resources available for intervention. This knowledge may significantly improve patient care when incorporated into daily clinical practice in the transplant setting. As a framework for this approach, this article reviews the literature on QOL after allogeneic and autologous HCT for adults with haematological malignancies. We then discuss evidence in support of the beneficial impact of clinical QOL assessment, and finally evaluate behavioural interventions that show promise to maintain or improve QOL after HCT.