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130 A supervised strength and outpatient exercise regimen in pediatric patients with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (STRONGER ALL)

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  11 April 2025

Lauren Appell
Affiliation:
University of Arkansas Translational Research Institute; University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Department of Pediatric Hematology/Oncology; Arkansas
Jason Farrar
Affiliation:
University of Arkansas Translational Research Institute; University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Department of Pediatric Hematology/Oncology; Arkansas
Ellen van der Plas
Affiliation:
University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Department of Pediatric Hematology/Oncology
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Abstract

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Objectives/Goals: To assess the feasibility, safety, and preliminary efficacy of implementing a supervised, outpatient aerobic and strength exercise regimen in newly diagnosed pediatric patients with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). We hypothesize that early implementation of exercise is feasible and may prevent well-known cardiometabolic late effects. Methods/Study Population: We will enroll 10–20 children (both males and females) with newly diagnosed ALL between the ages of 11–21 years to participate in a 12-month supervised, structured outpatient exercise regimen (STRONGER ALL). This regimen will consist of low- to moderate-intensity aerobic and strength exercises (either in person or coached virtually per patient preference) 3 times a week. This study will include 2 physical fitness assessments: 1) baseline and 2) end of study. Assessments will include resting energy expenditure, peak oxygen uptake, bone density, upper and lower extremity strength, flexibility, and questionnaires (feasibility and quality of life). Additionally, blood and urine specimens will undergo metabolomic analysis to identify biomarkers predictive of future cardiometabolic outcomes. Results/Anticipated Results: We expect that early implementation of STRONGER ALL in children undergoing chemotherapy will be feasible and preliminarily effective at mitigating risk factors for long-term cardiometabolic outcomes in survivors. Feasibility will be defined by recruitment capability (at least 50% of eligible patients agree to enroll), acceptance/compliance (at least 50% of participants complete the program with participation in at least 50% of sessions), data acquisition (collection and outcomes measures are appropriate), and practicability (program shows promise of being successful with pediatric ALL patients as measured by validated surveys administered to patients and caregivers). We anticipate that ALL patients participating in STRONGER ALL will have improved fitness and quality of life. Discussion/Significance of Impact: Evidence on the benefits of physical activity for ALL patients has not changed clinical practice. We aim to overcome the translational science barrier of patient- and system-level blockade in implementation of exercise in children with ALL. The evidence generated from this research may also be generalizable to other childhood cancer survivors.

Type
Contemporary Research Challenges
Creative Commons
Creative Common License - CCCreative Common License - BYCreative Common License - NCCreative Common License - ND
This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives licence (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/), which permits non-commercial re-use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is unaltered and is properly cited. The written permission of Cambridge University Press must be obtained for commercial re-use or in order to create a derivative work.
Copyright
© The Author(s), 2025. The Association for Clinical and Translational Science