16 Dec ASH24: Multiple Myeloma – Progressive Resistance Training May Improve Pain and Fatigue
MedicalResearch.com Interview with:
Janine Joseph, MS
Janine Joseph, MS, MBA
Senior Research Specialist
Cancer Prevention & Control
Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center
Buffalo, NY
MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study?
Response: Due to improvements in treatments, patients with multiple myeloma (MM) are experiencing longer lifespans and seeking ways to enhance their quality-of-life. Fatigue, pain and negative psychological states such as anxiety and depression are common in cancer patients, including patients with MM. Pain is particularly relevant, as MM can cause painful osteolytic (bone) lesions.
The trials we discussed at ASH were aimed at evaluating the effect of exercise, specifically supervised resistance training and unsupervised walking exercise, on these and other states, including physical function and immune profile.
MedicalResearch.com: What are the main findings?
Response: The main findings reported at ASH were that:
(1) A 6-month unsupervised walking intervention was not associated with changes in self-reported pain, fatigue, anxiety, depression;
(2) A 6-month in-person supervised resistance training intervention was associated with significant improvements in self-reported pain
(3) 6-month in-person AND virtually supervised resistance training interventions were associated with significant improvements in self-reported fatigue, but the improvements reversed after the intervention
(4) 6-month walking and resistance training interventions were not associated with significant changes in anxiety or depression.
MedicalResearch.com: What should readers take away from your report?
Response: The evidence is not irrefutable, but there is a suggestion that progressive resistance training done regularly for 6 months might lead to improvements in pain and fatigue in patients with MM. We have previously published that resistance training and walking interventions are also associated with improvements in immune profile and physical function. However, it is critical that any exercise intervention be done under the direction and supervision of a physician familiar with the patient’s unique limitations, especially given the bone instability that is common in patients with MM.
MedicalResearch.com: What recommendations do you have for future research as a results of this study?
Response: We would like to see additional research into the following:
- What dose, duration, and modality of exercise (e.g. resistance versus aerobic or a mix, supervised versus unsupervised, in person versus remote) would have the greatest public health impact in this population?
- Can exercise extend remission/survival, or are the benefits limited to quality of life?
- How can we make these interventions more durable, i.e., how can we keep patients exercising after the interventions are over?
- Are there benefits associated with using these interventions in patients with precursor conditions, such as MGUS and smoldering MM?
MedicalResearch.com: Is there anything else you would like to add? Any disclosures?
Response: I would like to add that we have considerable anecdotal evidence from patients who underwent the resistance training trials that their daily lives got better as they got stronger, including things like the ability to open jars, put things in and out of the oven, or walk dogs. No disclosures for me.
Citation: ASH 2024 abstract:
Six-Month Resistance Training Interventions Are Associated with Improvements in Fatigue and Pain in Multiple Myeloma Patients
Program: Oral and Poster Abstracts Type: Oral
Session: 907. Outcomes Research: Plasma Cell Disorders: Frailty, Supportive Care, and Factors Impacting Outcomes
Hematology Disease Topics & Pathways:
Research, Plasma Cell Disorders, Clinical Research, Health outcomes research, Diseases, Patient-reported outcomes, Lymphoid Malignancies
Sunday, December 8, 2024: 5:00 PM
Janine M. Joseph, MS, MBA1*, Michaela Hillengass1*, Bryan J. Wittmeyer, MS, PT2*, Carolyn A. Miller, DPT2*, Hillary M. Jacobson, DPT2*, Kirsten B. Moysich, PhD, MS1*, Rikki A. Cannioto, PhD, EdD1* and Jens Hillengass, MD, PhD3
1Department of Cancer Prevention and Control, Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center, Buffalo, NY
2Physical Therapy, Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center, Buffalo, NY
3Department of Medicine – Myeloma, Roswell Park, Buffalo, NY
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Last Updated on December 16, 2024 by Marie Benz MD FAAD