Effects of a home-exercise programme in childhood survivors of acute lymphoblastic leukaemia on physical fitness and physical functioning: results of a randomised clinical trial.

PURPOSE

The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of a home-exercise programme on physical fitness indicators and physical functioning after completion of chemotherapy in children and adolescents diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (ALL).

METHODS

Twenty-four survivors of ALL were assigned to usual care (control group, n = 12, 11.0 ± 3.7 years) or to a home-exercise programme (intervention group, n = 12, 11.8 ± 4.3 years). Peak oxygen uptake (VOpeak ml/kg/min), minute ventilation (VE L/min), output of carbon dioxide (VCO L/min), respiratory exchange ratio (RER), peak heart rate (beats/min), maximal load (W), VO at anaerobic threshold (VO at AT, ml/kg/min), pulse oxygen (PO ml/beat), heart rate at anaerobic threshold (beats/min), handgrip test (pounds), flexibility (cm), Timed Up & Go test TUG (s), and Timed Up and Down Stairs test (TUDS s) were measured at baseline and over 16 weeks of intervention.

RESULTS

Adjusted mixed linear models revealed a significant group-time interaction + 6.7 (95% CI = 0.6-12.8 ml/kg/min; η partial = 0.046, P = 0.035) for VOpeak. Similarly, changes in mean values were observed after the home-exercise programme compared with baseline for VE (L/min) - 8.8 (3.0) (P = 0.035), VCO - 0.2 (0.08), (P = 0.041), maximal load (W) - 35.5 (12.8) (P = 0.024), TUDS (s) 0.8 (2.6) (P = 0.010), and TUG (s) 0.6 (0.1) (P = 0.001); however, the group-time interaction was not significant.

CONCLUSION

The home-exercise programme resulted in changes in measures of VOpeak, VE, VCO, and functional capacity during daily life activities (TUDS and TUG test). This is an interesting and important study that surely adds to the current body of knowledge/literature on the safety of exercise interventions, especially in children with haematological cancer.