A team of researchers from China conducted the study and published their findings in the European Journal of Oncology Nursing.
The investigators explained that it was important to perform the study because “research into the impact of exercise on objective cognitive measures is limited, and high-quality, longitudinal, randomized controlled trials in haematological malignancies are scarce.”
The intervention that was applied as part of the study to reduce the effects of negative chemotherapy side effects was a nurse-led multi-theoretical-model–based exercise program (MTM-EP).
A total of 90 patients with lymphoma were recruited to participate in the trial and were evenly randomized to either an intervention group or a control group. The intervention group received the 36-week MTM-EP, and the control group received usual care.
Investigators performed regular assessments to monitor participants’ experiences and progress, which were administered at baseline, immediately after the intervention, and at follow-up visits 1, 3, and 6 months later.
Depression, anxiety, fear of disease progression, cognitive function, and sleep quality were among the outcomes analyzed in the trial, and investigators used repeated-measures analysis of variance to evaluated the data.
To preserve randomization, investigators conducted an intention-to-treat analysis across both groups in the trial cohort, and “multiple imputation under the Missing at Random assumption” accounted for any “missing outcome data.”
When compared with patients in the control group, those in the intervention group showed diminished levels of depression, anxiety, and fear of disease progression. The intervention group also showed “sustained improvements” in the outcomes of cognitive function and sleep quality through the 6-month duration of the trial.
The researchers wrote, “High adherence rates (>80%) were observed for both aerobic and resistance components.”
Ultimately, for patients with lymphoma undergoing chemotherapy, the nurse-led MTM-EP was found to reduce psychologic distress and enhance sleep quality and cognitive function.
“The findings provide robust evidence in support of the integration of structured exercise into standard supportive oncology care,” investigators concluded.