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Recovery of physical function and quality of life in patients undergoing hematopoietic stem cell transplantation: a 1-year follow-up

Bone Marrow Transplantation volume 51, pages 1127–1130 (2016)Cite this article

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Studies of patients who underwent hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) have assessed their physical function during the inpatient period1, 2 and, in a few instances, during short periods after discharge.3, 4, 5 In the study by Syrjala et al.,6 in which the Sickness Impact Profile was used to evaluate physical limitations, patients regained physical function within 1 year after HSCT. However, there are no longitudinal studies in which physical function tests were used to determine muscle strength or endurance capacity 6 months or more after HSCT. In our previous study, we mainly assessed changes in physical function and muscle mass during the inpatient period and reported the effectiveness of exercise intervention.7 The aim of this study was to assess physical function in patients participating in a one-on-one exercise program by using the 6-min walk test (6MWT) and handgrip strength before and up to 1 year after HSCT. We also sought to identify the factors affecting the recovery of physical function and quality of life (QOL).

Between December 2005 and August 2013, 198 patients consecutively underwent HSCT at our hospital. We analyzed 45 patients who survived without relapse for at least 1 year after HSCT. Physical function and QOL tests were administered up to 2 weeks before HSCT, upon discharge from the hospital (within 1 week of discharge), and 1 year after HSCT. In all, 153 patients were excluded owing to death or relapse within 1 year (n=99), physical problems (n=18), follow-up at another hospital (n=9), lack of interest at the 1-year follow-up (n=15) or missing data (n=12). Of the 45 patients analyzed in this study, 15 were included in our previous report.7 This retrospective, descriptive study was approved by the Imamura Bun-in Hospital ethics committee. Exercise therapy was performed for 40 min/day, 5 days/week for 2 weeks before HSCT and until the patient was discharged from the hospital. Patients received one-on-one exercise therapy from physical therapists, which consisted of stretching, resistance training, balancing exercises and endurance training. Details of the exercise intervention program are provided in our previous report.7 For outpatient intervention, self-directed exercise at home was recommended. Upon discharge, patients were instructed to continue exercising as they had done during the inpatient period. In particular, we emphasized the importance of performing the walking exercises at home.

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Acknowledgements

We are grateful to the study participants, the physical therapists in the rehabilitation department and the physicians in Hematology and Rehabilitation Medicine at Imamura Bun-in Hospital. This research was partially supported by the Practical Research for Innovative Cancer Control from the Japan Agency for Medical Research and Development, AMED.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Rehabilitation, Imamura Bun-in Hospital, Kagoshima, Japan

    T Takekiyo, Y Murayama, A Maeda & T Chaen

  2. Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, Imamura Bun-in Hospital, Kagoshima, Japan

    K Dozono, T Mitsuishi, S Nara & K Yoshida

  3. Department of Hematology, Imamura Bun-in Hospital, Kagoshima, Japan

    N Nakano, A Kubota, M Tokunaga, S Takeuchi, Y Takatsuka & A Utsunomiya

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  1. T Takekiyo
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Correspondence to T Takekiyo.

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Takekiyo, T., Dozono, K., Mitsuishi, T. et al. Recovery of physical function and quality of life in patients undergoing hematopoietic stem cell transplantation: a 1-year follow-up. Bone Marrow Transplant 51, 1127–1130 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1038/bmt.2016.58

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