The Benefit of Exercise in Patients Who Undergo Allogeneic Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation

Abstract

Allogeneic hematopoietic stem-cell transplantation (allo-HSCT) is increasingly used in the treatment of hematologic cancers such as leukemias, lymphomas, and myeloma, and for other hematologic disorders such as primary immunodeficiency, aplastic anemia, and myelodysplasia. Allo-HSCT entails a conditioning regimen of frequent high-dose chemotherapy in combination with total body irradiation, followed by infusion of donor-harvested bone marrow or peripheral blood stem cells. As an aggressive and demanding medical therapy that profoundly impacts patient quality of life (QOL), allo-HSCT is associated with numerous treatment-related physical, psychological, and psychosocial side effects. The procedure can result in decreased respiratory and balance function, skeletal muscle strength, and exercise capacity. Thus, as physical exercise has been shown to positively effect physical and psychosocial function and QOL in allo-HSCT patients, it is a recommended intervention for improving essential functions and offsetting lost exercise capacity after the procedure. Furthermore, recent evidence has shown that physical exercise can influence survival rate and mortality in allo-HSCT patients. This review provides an overview of the current research on the effectiveness of physical exercise for allo-HSCT patients.

Exercise before, during, and after Hospitalization for Allogeneic Hematological Stem Cell Transplant: A Feasibility Randomized Controlled Trial

“…Reduced physical capacity across the allo-HSCT experience is associated with greater disability, fatigue, length of hospital stay, and mortality [ 3 , 6 ]. Several studies have shown that exercise interventions introduced prior to or after transplant can improve physical capacity by the time of hospital discharge following HSCT, in addition to improvements in fatigue, psychosocial wellbeing, and HRQOL [ 16 , 17 , 18 ]. However, given the repeated and multifactorial physiological insult from allo-HSCT and associated treatments, employing exercise as a preventative and restorative intervention is likely an important strategy to optimize physical capacity across the treatment experience.…”

The efficacy of specialised rehabilitation using the Op-reha Guide for cancer patients in palliative care units: protocol of a multicentre, randomised controlled trial (JORTC-RHB02)

“…At the same time, clinical studies on rehabilitation for cancer patients have also increased. These studies have found, for example, that physical exercise for cancer patients has beneficial effects, including improved physical function and reduced symptom burdens [8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15][16][17][18][19]. However, most participants in these studies were in a disease phase where they could recover their physical function and ADL, such as early mobilisation for perioperative patients, therapeutic exercise during cancer treatments, and physical fitness for cancer survivors, with patients' prognosis being about 3 to 12 months.…”

Weight Loss Intervention before Cord Blood Transplantation in an Obese Patient with Acute Myeloid Leukemia: A Case Study

“…Rehabilitation for patients undergoing HSCT is generally aimed at preventing the deterioration of physical function and improving the quality of life. 15 ) A recent study 16 ) reported the feasibility and safety of combined exercise training and nutritional support before HSCT in patients with hematologic malignancies. The present case suggested that combined exercise training and nutritional support aimed at weight loss could be feasible and safe in patients with hematologic malignancies.…”