Feasibility and Initial Effectiveness of Home Exercise During Maintenance Therapy for Childhood Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia

Children with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) are at increased risk of obesity and deconditioning from cancer therapy. This pilot study assessed feasibility/initial efficacy of an exercise intervention for patients with ALL undergoing maintenance therapy.Participants were aged 5 to 10 years, receiving maintenance therapy, in first remission. A 6-month home-based intervention, with written and video instruction, was supervised with weekly calls from an exercise coach. Pre- and poststudy testing addressed strength, flexibility, fitness, and motor function.Seventeen patients enrolled (participation 63%). Twelve (71%) finished the intervention, completing 81.7 ± 7.2% of prescribed sessions. Improvements of 5% or more occurred in 67% for knee and 75% for grip strength, 58% for hamstring/low-back and 83% for ankle flexibility, 75% for the 6-Minute Walk Test, and 33% for performance on the Bruininks-Oseretsky Test of Motor Proficiency Version 2.This pilot study demonstrated that exercise intervention during ALL therapy is feasible and has promise for efficacy.