Effects of NMES and Exercise in Hematological Cancer

Overview

Physical activity levels of adult hematologic cancer patients are deficient. The resulting physical inactivity causes fatigue, muscle loss, and deterioration in physical performance values. However, physical exercise programs still play a minor role in treating hematological malignancies. In addition, there are no reliable data in the literature regarding risk factors, feasibility, and exercise results in individuals with hematological malignancies. Although it is known that the use of corticosteroids, which are among the drugs given during chemotherapy, causes muscle weakness, there are no physical exercise programs performed with this patient group in the literature. The current study aims to compare the effects of resistance exercise and resistance exercise combined with neuromuscular electrical stimulation on muscle strength, functional lower extremity strength, and mobility in hematological cancer patients during chemotherapy.

Although people with hematological malignancies have to endure long stages of treatment and inactivity that are known to reduce their physical performance levels, it is still common practice to rest and avoid intense exercise. Although physical activity and exercise are important approaches to many diseases, their effects on cancer have been studied recently. There are still not enough studies in this area and it is not widely used. In recent studies, it is thought that exercise may benefit the symptoms that develop due to treatment in cancer patients. Even in the presence of severe muscle weakness and fatigue, skeletal muscle provides great adaptation when there is an appropriate exercise stimulus. In addition, exercise can increase immune functions, so it is thought that exercise practices in hematological cancer patients can specifically improve cellular functions such as microbial phagocytosis, T-cell proliferation, vaccine response, and killing tumor cells. There are various studies and approaches that try to create a different strategy and include physical exercise in the treatment strategy of hematological malignancies. These exercise programs generally include aerobics, flexibility, and resistance training methods. The necessity of developing alternative methods to exercise is emphasized in the literature due to the development of complications that affect participation in basic exercises such as walking. Resistance exercise training has been effective in improving muscle strength and endurance in cancer survivors, with most of the research on those with breast cancer, prostate cancer, and head and neck cancer. The number of studies providing strengthening training in patients with hematological cancer is limited. Neuromuscular electrical stimulation (NMES) has proven efficacy in improving muscle strength in a variety of populations. NMES training also has applicability for the cancer population to prevent treatment-related complications and improve health-related quality of life. However, there is still no high-level evidence to support the administration of NMES in cancer patients. In the present study, we aimed to evaluate the effect of resistance exercise improve muscle weakness in hematological cancer patients receiving intensive chemotherapy after HSCT. In addition, we aimed to evaluate the effect of resistance exercise and NMES training on fatigue, mobility, and quality of life in hematological cancer patients.