Clinical exercise therapy program with multiple myeloma patients: Impacts on feasibility, adherence and efficacy

Abstract

Purpose Multiple myeloma (MM) is a severe hemato-oncological disease with high mortality and increasing incidence rate. Since evidence on exercise therapy in MM patients remains limited, this study examines feasibility, adherence, and efficacy based on real-life data from an oncologic care structure. Methods A data evaluation of MM patients who participated in the oncologic exercise and movement therapy (OTT) at the Cologne University Hospital between 2012 and 2019 was conducted. The patient flow was incrementally reduced to four cohorts, intention-to-treat cohort (ITTC), safety cohort (SC), adherence cohort (AC), and efficacy cohort (EC). Cohorts were evaluated descriptively and by means of correlation analysis as well as group and time comparisons. Results Thirty patients registered at the OTT between 2012 and 2019 (ITTC). The SC (N = 26) attended exercise therapy on average about one session per week over a period of 8 months. One-third dropped out within 3 months. In the AC (N = 15), BMI at baseline exhibited a strong and very significant negative correlation with exercise adherence. In the EC (N = 8), a significant improvement in physical functioning and a tendency towards significance in fatigue reduction between two measurement points was observed. No adverse events were documented. Conclusions The present observatory study reveals safety and feasibility while indicating adherence and efficacy of exercising MM patients under real-life therapy circumstances. Found obstacles to exercising as well as improvements in questionnaire scale scores need to be further examined in confirmatory study designs.

Assessing Osteolytic Lesion Size on Sequential CT Scans Is a Reliable Study Endpoint for Bone Remineralization in Newly Diagnosed Multiple Myeloma

“…However, upcoming prospective studies should use the validated study endpoint to compare the effects of different immunomodulatory agents and also evaluate their combination with exercise therapy concepts. Of note, the latter have already shown encouraging effects in MM and monoclonal gammopathy patients and may be a focal point of future research on bone health [29,30]. Second, the investigated population consisted solely of patients with newly diagnosed MM.…”

Effects of physical activity on clinical and inflammatory markers in diagnosing multiple myeloma patients

“…As mentioned above, physical activity and exercise could effectively overcome these side effects. However, designing protocols for MM patients requires great attention as they have weaker immune systems, suggesting that exercise should be prescribed only to those who are in good condition ( Nowrousian et al, 2005 ; Wefelnberg et al, 2022 ). Furthermore, MM patients with sedentary lifestyles could develop other conditions, such as obesity, cardiac problems, and osteoarthritis, which can accumulate to put the patients in life-threatening conditions.…”