Within 5-year off-chemotherapy: How the cardio-respiratory response to exercise is related to energy expenditure, fatigue, and adiposity in children with acute lymphoblastic leukaemia?

Abstract

To explore the cardio-respiratory response to exercise and examine the relationships among specific measures of cardio-respiratory function, energy expenditure (EE), fatigue and adiposity in children survivors of acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (ALL). Seventy survivors of ALL (13.31±2.60years) and 34 controls from the siblings (12.71±2.36years) participated and were assessed for submaximal and maximal exercise capacity, body composition, EE and fatigue. ALL survivors had significantly lower submaximal (VO2 ; p=0.002) and maximal (VO2peak ; p˂0.001) cardio-respiratory capacity than their controls. At the submaximal exercise test, EE was significantly lower in ALL survivors (p<0.001), but the heart rate (HR) was significantly higher (p=0.005). The VO2 and HR were significantly correlated [r (95%CI)=0.689 (0.542 to 0.795), p<0.001]. The VO2peak negatively associated with adiposity [r (95%CI)=-0.368 (-0.554 to -0.145), p=0.002]. Fatigue significantly correlated with the VO2peak [r (95%CI)=0.581 (0.401 to 0.718), p<0.001] and adiposity [r (95%CI)=-0.303 (-0.502 to 0.073), p=0.012]. Children survivors of ALL experience low cardio-respiratory fitness within 5-year off-chemotherapy. Associations exist between measures of cardio-respiratory fitness, EE, fatigue and adiposity. However, it has not yet been proven whether these are cause or effect.