TY - JOUR A1 - Winter, Corinna A1 - Müller, Carsten A1 - Brandes, Mirko A1 - Brinkmann, Anja A1 - Hoffmann, Christiane A1 - Hardes, Jendrik A1 - Gosheger, Georg A1 - Boos, Joachim A1 - Rosenbaum, Dieter T1 - Level of activity in children undergoing cancer treatment JF - Pediatric Blood & Cancer N2 - Background The diagnosis of cancer bears severe implications for pediatric patients. One immense restriction consists in a reduced level of activity due to different factors. Physical activity affects various aspects of development and can be regarded as an essential part of a child's life. In the present study physical activity in patients undergoing cancer therapy was quantified in order to determine the extent of the restriction and to provide baseline information for the assessment of possible interventions. Procedure Physical activity in 80 patients and 45 healthy children matched for age and gender was measured using the StepWatch 3™ Activity Monitor (SAM, OrthoCare Innovations). Results Pediatric cancer patients, at 2,787 gait cycles (gcs) per day, were significantly less active than their healthy counterparts (8,096 gcs). Patients were significantly more active at home than during inpatient stays (3,185 gcs compared to 1,830 gcs), and patients with bone tumors were less active than those with leukemia regarding both, the amount (1,849 gcs vs. 2,992 gcs) and the intensity of activity. Conclusion The present study quantified an often observed but so far hardly assessable problem. Activity in cancer patients is considerably reduced and patients with bone tumors are at increased risk from the detrimental effects of prolonged inactivity. Both our findings and the accepted fact that activity is an essential element of child development confirm the need for interventions tailored to a patient's needs and abilities during the course of treatment. KW - bone tumor KW - childhood cancer KW - leukemia KW - physical activity Y1 - 2009 U6 - http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/pbc.22055 VL - 53 IS - 3 SP - 438 EP - 443 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Winter, Corinna A1 - Müller, Carsten A1 - Hoffmann, Christiane A1 - Boos, Joachim A1 - Rosenbaum, Dieter T1 - Physical activity and childhood cancer JF - Pediatric Blood & Cancer N2 - This review provides a survey of studies investigating physical activity and exercise interventions in patients during tumor treatment and survivors of childhood cancer. PubMed and Medline databases were searched using relevant terms. References of selected papers were tracked. A total of 28 studies could be identified. Seventeen studies investigated physical activity, 11 studies determined the effect of activity enhancing interventions during and after therapy. Even though most studies showed limitations and results were not consistent, considerably reduced physical activity is highly probable in patients during and after therapy. Studies on interventions provided promising results and revealed challenges to be faced. Pediatr Blood Cancer KW - activity promotion KW - childhood cancer KW - exercise interventions KW - physical activity Y1 - 2010 U6 - http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/pbc.22271 VL - 54 IS - 4 SP - 501 EP - 510 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Müller, Carsten A1 - Krauth, Konstantin A. A1 - Gerß, Joachim A1 - Rosenbaum, Dieter T1 - Physical activity and health-related quality of life in pediatric cancer patients following a 4-week inpatient rehabilitation program JF - Supportive Care in Cancer N2 - 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. KW - physical activity KW - quality of life KW - rehabilitation KW - pediatric oncology KW - childhood cancer Y1 - 2016 UR - https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00520-016-3198-y#citeas U6 - http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s00520-016-3198-y VL - 24 SP - 3793 EP - 3802 ER -