Functional capacity, pulmonary function, and quality of life in hematopoietic stem cell transplantation survivors

Hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) is used as a treatment for several diseases. The objective was to evaluate the functional capacity, pulmonary function, and quality of life (QoL) in HSCT survivors. The patients were submitted to spirometry and six-minute walk test (6MWT) and evaluation of QoL (Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy Bone Marrow Transplantation—FACT-BMT) and the level of physical activity (Human Activity Profile—HAP) in the post-HSCT outpatient ambulatory. The sample was composed of 103 individuals with a mean age of 42.1 ± 12 and a median HSCT time of 5 (2–11) years. The average distance walked in the 6MWT was 524.7 ± 73.5 m; the FACT-BMT score, 82 ± 8.7 points; FEV1, 76.8 ± 22.6%; and HAP, 71.9 ± 11.2 points. There was a significant difference between debilitated and physically active individuals for the variables: forced expiratory volume in the first second (FEV1) in liters (p = 0.008) and % of predicted (p = 0.017), FEV1/FVC (p = 0.032), distance on the 6MWT (p < 0.001), fatigue after the 6MWT (p < 0.001), and physical well-being (p = 0.005). HSCT survivors have long-term changes in functional capacity, pulmonary function, and QoL. Subjects more active had better results in pulmonary function and functional capacity.