Quality Of Life Differences Among Non Hodgkinʼs Lymphoma Survivors Meeting And Not Meeting National Exercise Prescription Guidelines

Abstract

Exercise has received increased attention as a supportive therapy for cancer survivors in which quality of life (QoL) benefits may accrue. However, the majority of cancer survivors do not achieve the minimal amounts of exercise required for health benefits. Non Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL) is a unique cancer in which survivors may benefit from exercise rehabilitation. However, no studies to date have focused on exercise in this population. PURPOSE The purpose of this study was to examine QoL differences between NHL survivors meeting and not meeting national exercise prescription guidelines proposed by the American College of Sports Medicine and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (i.e., at least 150 minutes of moderate-to-vigorous exercise/week). A secondary purpose was to examine exercise behavior changes across three distinct cancer-related time periods (i.e., pre-diagnosis, active treatment and off-treatment). METHODS 438 NHL survivors residing in Alberta, Canada completed a mailed questionnaire that retrospectively assessed self-reported exercise pre-diagnosis, during and off-treatment (Godin Leisure Time Exercise Questionnaire), and current QoL (Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy). RESULT S: Analyses indicated that 33.8%, 6.5% and 23.7% of NHL survivors met national exercise prescription guidelines during pre-diagnosis, active and off-treatment periods, respectively. MANOVA indicated that NHL survivors meeting national exercise prescription guidelines both during and off-treatment had higher QoL scores than NHL survivors not meeting national guidelines. QoL difference scores between the two groups yielded small to medium effect sizes (d) ranging from .20 to .48 and met proposed standards for clinically important differences. MANOVA also indicated significant differences in exercise behavior across the three cancer-related time periods (all p <.05). CONCLUSION These results provide evidence that NHL survivors meeting national exercise prescription guidelines both during and off-treatment reported higher QoL than those survivors not meeting national exercise prescription guidelines. These findings corroborate research examining exercise behavior in other cancer populations and provide preliminary data to support a randomized controlled trial on exercise and QoL in this population. Supported by a Research Team Grant from the National Cancer Institute of Canada (NCIC) with funds from the Canadian Cancer Society (CCS) and the CCS/NCIC Sociobehavioural Cancer Research Network.