Exercise Prior to Allogeneic Hematologic Stem Cell Transplantation

University Health Network, Toronto

Status: Completed

Conditions: Allogeneic Stem Cell Transplantation

Treatments: Behavioral: Exercise

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other

Identifiers

NCT02273024

14-7699

Details and patient eligibility

About

The investigators hypothesize that inactivity during the search for a donor may exacerbate current deconditioned states; subsequently, influencing risk factors for post-transplant complications that hinder the recovery phase.

This study is designed to investigate if exercise therapy administered prior to allogeneic hematologic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) can influence physical and psychological side-effects associated with HSCT. Approximately 6-weeks prior to HSCT, individuals will be randomized into either an exercise group or usual care group and followed until one year after HSCT.

Enrollment: 30 patients

Sex: All

Ages: 17+ years old

Volunteers: No Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

• Medical indication: allogeneic stem cell transplantation at Princess Margaret Hospital
• must be ambulatory without need for human assistance at time of recruitment
• medically cleared to exercise by the transplant physician
• demonstrates willingness to attend supervised sessions
• sufficient in English to ensure safety of understanding prescribed exercise guidelines, or has access to an adequate non-familial interpreter

Exclusion criteria

• another active malignancy
• less than 4 weeks till the scheduled HSCT
• refusal to be randomized
• does not have the approval of their transplant physician
• severe or unstable neurological, cardiorespiratory, musculoskeletal disease or mental illness

Trial design

Primary purpose: Supportive Care

Allocation: Randomized

Interventional model: Parallel Assignment

Masking: None (Open label)

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30 participants in 2 patient groups

Exercise

Experimental group

Description:

Individuals will participate in weekly supervised and unsupervised exercise sessions prior to HSCT, during hospitalization and till 100 days from HSCT. Exercise will consist of endurance and resistance exercise 3-5 days a week.

Treatment:

Behavioral: Exercise

Usual Care

No Intervention group

Description:

Usual care will have continue with standard of care treatment without any specific exercise instruction or guidance other than what is provided by the patient education team at the cancer centre.