Recently Diagnosed or Relapsed? Stop Looking For a Miracle Cure, and Use Evidence-Based Therapies To Enhance Your Treatment and Prolong Your Remission
Multiple Myeloma an incurable disease, but I have spent the last 25 years in remission using a blend of conventional oncology and evidence-based nutrition, supplementation, and lifestyle therapies from peer-reviewed studies that your oncologist probably hasn't told you about.
Click the orange button to the right to learn more about what you can start doing today.
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Exercise for Newly Diagnosed Myeloma
I know what you’re thinking. Exercise for newly diagnosed myeloma is difficult at best. While this may be true in many cases, the study linked below clearly demonstrates the benefits. My guess is that the reduction in your fatigue will be worth the effort.
It’s important to point out that exercise is beneficial not just for newly diagnosed MM patients undergoing induction therapy but also for MM patient undergoing an autologous stem cell transplant. See below.
I say this as a long-term MM survivor who continues evidence-based non-conventional therapies like moderate exercise to this day.
The feasibility of physiotherapist-led exercise prehabilitation in patients with MM undergoing SCT
While exercise provides measurable benefits for both newly diagnosed MM patients as well as MM patients undergoing ASCT, I want to add to the understanding of pre habilitation with:
- Nutrition
- Supplementation
- Mental health (sleep, relaxation, etc.)
I cannot cite specific studies supporting my thinking but I am willing to go out on a limb by adding these evidence-based non-conventional therapies.
Email me at David.PeopleBearingCancer@gmail.com with questions you may have about prehabilitation for your own MM journey.
You can do it!
David Emerson
- MM Survivor
- MM Cancer Coach
- Director PeopleBeatingCancer
A Randomized Controlled ‘REAL-FITNESS’ Trial to Evaluate Physical Activity in Patients With Newly Diagnosed Multiple Myeloma
Background
Multiple myeloma (MM) is the second most common haematological malignancy. The predominantly older patients often suffer from comorbidities that impair their quality of life (QoL). Physical activity (PA) can be beneficial for cancer patients, but less evidence exists in MM.
This randomized controlled trial (RCT) compared an exercise group with World Health Organization (WHO)–compliant PA (150 min aerobic exercise and 2 resistance training-sessions/week) vs. activity as usual (control group).
Methods
Thirty-four newly diagnosed consecutive MM patients were randomized 1:1 to exercise vs. control groups. Guided training (2×/week) was performed for 3 months during bortezomib–cyclophosphamide–dexamethasone (VCd) induction.
PA was monitored using smartwatches and diaries-
- Demographics,
- osteolytic lesions,
- infections,
- fatigue,
- depression,
- and biomarkers (albumin, creatine kinase, C-reactive protein, high-density lipoprotein, low-density lipoprotein and pro-brain natriuretic peptide)
were compared in exercise vs. control cohorts. VCd-tolerance, response, ‘timed-up-and-go-test’ (TUGT), Revised Myeloma Comorbidity Index (R-MCI), QoL (SF-12 questionnaire), event-free survival and trainer assignment during the training period were assessed (13 tests at baseline, during VCd and end of treatment [EOT]).
Results
The exercise group was more than twice as active as the control group, with an average aerobic activity of 162 versus 68 min/week, respectively. Trainer-guided muscle-strengthening exercises were performed 2×/week in the exercise group, in line with WHO recommendations.
These data were monitored via smartwatches and training diaries. PA proved to be safe: No exercise-related SAEs or accidents occurred. The study adherence was 94% (32/34). In the exercise versus control group, AEs to VCd induction (6% vs. 25%), therapy intolerance (6% vs. 25%) and hospitalization (31% vs. 50%, respectively) occurred less frequently.
VCd-dose adjustments in the exercise vs. control group were significantly less needed (6.3% vs. 37.5%, respectively).
At EOT, patients in the exercise group showed-
- less fatigue (6% vs. 75%),
- less depression (6% vs. 44%),
- better TUGT (6 vs. 11 s, respectively),
- improved R-MCI and
- QoL compared to the control group.
Grip strength (right hand: 73–82 lb; left hand: 68–72 lb) significantly improved from baseline to EOT in the exercise group. Biomarkers did not significantly differ in both groups, but response to VCd-induction and event-free survival were improved in the exercise group, however, without reaching statistical significance.
Conclusions
PA in MM patients during induction is feasible and can improve fatigue, depression, TUGT, grip strength, comorbidities and QoL. More sport intervention offers are warranted to advance exercising in MM.
Exercise for newly diagnosed myeloma Exercise for newly diagnosed myeloma