Strength capacity in young patients who are receiving maintenance therapy for acute lymphoblastic leukemia: a case-control study

Abstract

The treatment for children and adolescents with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) can lead to multiple adverse effects, including a poor physical capacity. Accordingly, several studies have reported that survivors of ALL may experience muscle weakness, even years following their remission.1,2 However, it has not yet been determined whether patients who are currently receiving treatment for ALL present with impaired strength. To date, only a single pilot study compared muscle strength in ALL with healthy controls.3 Using an isometric strength assessment, the authors found that the ALL patients were weaker than their healthy peers. Importantly, the children with ALL demonstrated a progressive weakening from the initiation of delayed intensification phase through the next 28 days, suggesting that muscle strength may fluctuate during ALL treatment. Understanding the time course of treatment-induced muscle strength impairments can help to determine the timing of exercise training intervention,3 which is known to benefit ALL patients.4-6 The present case-control study aimed to characterize muscle strength in children who were receiving maintenance therapy for ALL and to compare this strength to that of age-, gender-, and BMI-matched healthy controls.