Abstract
Background: Cancer and its treatment can cause serious health issues that impair physical and mental well-being in children and adolescents. Exercise may be a valid strategy for managing some symptoms, including fatigue. In the light of our experience, we provide further justification for including exercise as part of routine childhood cancer care.Methods: Forty-four children and adolescents who had solid cancers not contraindicating their movement were invited to join an in-hospital 6-week supervised exercise program, and asked afterwards to complete validated quality of life and fatigue scales. The program consisted of personalized workout sessions of aerobic, resistance and flexibility exercises. The results obtained on the scales were compared between 21 patients who engaged in the exercise program (GYM group) and 23 who refused (No-GYM group), examining the different dimensions of health-related quality of life (physical, emotional, cognitive, social) and fatigue (general, sleep/rest, cognitive) in the two groups.Results: Being diagnosed with cancer initially prompted all but one of the respondents to drop-out of previous routine exercise or sports although their continuation had not been contraindicated. After 6 weeks of exercise, the GYM group's scores for quality of life and fatigue showed a statistically significant better perceived emotional functioning, and a trend toward a better social functioning than in the No-GYM group.Conclusion: We suggest that exercise improves the satisfaction of children and adolescents with cancer with their physical, mental and social functioning. We would emphasize the potential benefits of general practitioners discussing and recommending exercise for their young patients with cancer.
Highlights
Children and adolescents with cancer are often treated with chemotherapy, sometimes combined with radiotherapy and/or surgery
Cancer-related fatigue is a common and distressing condition that significantly lowers the Health-related quality of life (QoL) (HRQoL) of patients with cancer [20, 21], but higher levels of physical activity have been associated with lower levels of cancer-related fatigue [22]
Between April and August 2018, consecutive patients diagnosed with solid tumors or lymphomas who were receiving or had completed their treatment, and who had no disabilities and/or morbidities severe enough to prevent any form of physical activity, were personally invited by Abbreviations: HRQoL, health-related quality of life; interquartile ranges (IQR), Interquartile range; QoL, quality of life
Summary
Children and adolescents with cancer are often treated with chemotherapy, sometimes combined with radiotherapy and/or surgery. We know their disease and its treatments can cause various morbidities, including fatigue, neuropathy, sleep disruption, chronic pain, depression, anxiety, and cognitive impairment [1,2,3]. The physical functioning of children and adolescents with cancer declines during their treatment, and this can interfere with their quality of life (QoL) [4,5,6], as well as increasing the risk of certain chronic diseases [2]. Cancer and its treatment can cause serious health issues that impair physical and mental well-being in children and adolescents. In the light of our experience, we provide further justification for including exercise as part of routine childhood cancer care
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