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Physical activity and health-related quality of life in pediatric cancer patients following a 4-week inpatient rehabilitation program

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Abstract

Purpose

Chronic health conditions and impaired quality of life are commonly experienced in childhood cancer survivors. While rehabilitation clinics support patients in coping with the disease, studies evaluating an inpatient rehabilitation program on promoting physical activity (PA) and health-related quality of life (HRQoL) are missing.

Methods

A 4-week inpatient rehabilitation program was prospectively evaluated. One hundred fifty patients with leukemia or lymphoma (N = 86), brain tumors (N = 38), and sarcomas (N = 26) were enrolled on average 17 months after cessation of acute medical treatment. PA amount and cadence (indicating the intensity of walking activity) using the StepWatch™ 3 Activity Monitor and HRQoL global and physical well-being scores using the KINDL® questionnaire were assessed before, immediately after, and 6 and 12 months following the program and analyzed using multiple linear mixed models.

Results

Significant effects on PA were only found at 12-month follow-up for amount and cadence variables (all p < 0.05). While leukemia and lymphoma patients revealed the highest PA level throughout the study, rehabilitation effects were more pronounced for cadence variables in brain tumor and sarcoma patients. The rehabilitation program had immediate (t = 4.56, p < 0.001) and sustainable effects on HRQoL global scores (6-month follow-up, t = 4.08, p < 0.001; 12-month follow-up, t = 3.13, p < 0.006).

Conclusions

Immediate and sustainable increases in HRQoL indicate that a 4-week rehabilitation program is beneficial for improving psychosocial well-being, while the significant increase in PA levels could be related to general recovery as well. The lack of a control group hampers the evaluation of the rehabilitation program on promoting PA levels in pediatric cancer patients.

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Acknowledgments

We thank the participating patients for their sustained commitment to the study. The help of Andrea Kelter-Klöpping, Pascal Mailand and Kai Lindkamp in recruiting the participants and data acquisition is gratefully acknowledged. This study was funded by Arbeitsgemeinschaft für Krebsbekämpfung (ARGE Krebs NW).

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Sports Science, Work Unit Human Performance and Training in Sports, University of Münster, Horstmarer Landweg 62b, 48149, Münster, Germany

    Carsten Müller

  2. Institute of Experimental Musculoskeletal Medicine, Movement Analysis Laboratory, University Hospital Münster, Domagkstr. 3, 48149, Münster, Germany

    Carsten Müller & Dieter Rosenbaum

  3. Klinik Bad Oexen, Kinderhaus, Oexen 27, 32549, Bad Oeynhausen, Germany

    Konstantin A. Krauth

  4. Institute of Biostatistics and Clinical Research, University of Münster, Schmeddingstr. 56, 48149, Münster, Germany

    Joachim Gerß

Authors
  1. Carsten Müller
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  2. Konstantin A. Krauth
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  4. Dieter Rosenbaum
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Carsten Müller.

Ethics declarations

The study protocol was generally approved by the local Ethics Committee but under the condition not to recruit a control group. Informed consent was obtained from the patients and their parents or legal guardian.

Conflict of interest

The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

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Müller, C., Krauth, K.A., Gerß, J. et al. Physical activity and health-related quality of life in pediatric cancer patients following a 4-week inpatient rehabilitation program. Support Care Cancer 24, 3793–3802 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00520-016-3198-y

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00520-016-3198-y

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