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Exercise Therapy on Muscle Mass and Physical Function in Patients Undergoing Allogeneic Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation

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Physical Therapy and Research in Patients with Cancer

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Abstract

Patients undergoing allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (allo-HSCT) tend to experience a significant decline in physical function after allo-HSCT due to decreased physical activity caused by adverse reactions such as high-dose chemotherapy for allo-HSCT and post-transplant complications. Therefore, rehabilitation during the transplant period is essential to prevent loss of physical function and/or muscle mass. Exercise therapy is recommended to be a combination of aerobic exercise and strength training. The exercise program should include daily stretching, strength training two to three times a week, and aerobic exercise for at least 150 min a week. It is also important to instruct patients to do self-directed exercise. The concept of inpatient allo-HSCT rehabilitation is to divide the exercise therapy into three periods: “admission to preconditioning,” “allo-HSCT to engraftment,” and “engraftment to discharge.” Goals are set for each of these periods to help keep the patient as active as possible. Risk management is also important in the implementation of exercise therapy. In particular, it is necessary to consider the intensity and type of exercise therapy during the myelosuppressive phase, when there is a higher possibility of bleeding, and during complications such as graft-versus-host disease. It is important to maintain physical function to achieve early discharge from the hospital as well as early return to society.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Rehabilitation, Imamura General Hospital, Kagoshima, Japan

    Takahiro Takekiyo

  2. Department of Physical Therapy, School of Health Science, Fukushima Medical University, Fukushima, Japan

    Shinichiro Morishita

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  1. Takahiro Takekiyo
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  2. Shinichiro Morishita
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Correspondence to Takahiro Takekiyo .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Physical Therapy, School of Health Sciences, Fukushima Medical University, Fukushima, Fukushima, Japan

    Shinichiro Morishita

  2. Division of Rehabilitation Medicine, Kobe University Hospital, Kobe, Hyogo, Japan

    Junichiro Inoue

  3. Department of Physical Therapy, Faculty of Rehabilitation, Kansai Medical University, Hirakata, Osaka, Japan

    Jiro Nakano

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Takekiyo, T., Morishita, S. (2022). Exercise Therapy on Muscle Mass and Physical Function in Patients Undergoing Allogeneic Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation. In: Morishita, S., Inoue, J., Nakano, J. (eds) Physical Therapy and Research in Patients with Cancer. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-19-6710-8_8

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