exercise as intervention in chronic lymphocytic leukemia

Conditions: Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia

Summary: purpose: the purpose of the study is to determine the effects of 16-weeks of exercise training, as measured by aerobic capacity, strength and physical function, and body composition, in patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (cll). design: subjects will have confirmed treatment naïve cll. subjects will be assigned to either a 16-week control group (no supervised exercise) or an intervention group of resistance training (rex). before and after the 16-week protocol, patients will undergo several tests including: 1) a maximal cycle ergometer test, 2) body composition, 3) muscle strength, 4) physical activity levels, 5) blood measures (e.g. immune and inflammatory functions). data analyses \& safety issues: for outcomes, group change differences from baseline to 16-weeks will be compared with ancova. resistance training is a very safe exercise modality already studied in other cancer patients. the regular use of vigorous-intensity exercise has been used extensively in exercise training. it will always be respected for each subject's safety tolerance while challenging. hypothesis: the investigators hypothesize that the protocol will be feasible exercise interventions for people with cll and will improve health and fitness markers.

purpose: the purpose of the study is to determine the effects of 16-weeks of exercise training, as measured by aerobic capacity, strength and physical function, and body composition, in patients with cll and without any prior treatment. design: subjects will have confirmed treatment naïve cll. subjects will be assigned to either a 16-week control group (no supervised exercise) or an intervention group of resistance training (rex). before and after the 16-week protocol, patients will undergo several tests including: 1) a cardiopulmonary exercise test with electrocardiogram (cpet+ecg) maximal cycle ergometer test, 2) a dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry (dexa) body composition test, 3) a muscle strength test with dynamometry, 4) a characterization of physical activity (pa) levels with accelerometry, and 5) blood measures (e.g. immune and inflammatory functions). the rex group will undertake a strength-based type of training with intensities near 80% of 1-repetition maximum (1-rm), with individual supervision (personal training approach). data analyses \& safety issues: for outcomes, group change differences from baseline to 16-weeks will be compared with ancova. resistance training is a very safe exercise modality already studied in other cancer patients. the regular use of vigorous-intensity exercise has been used extensively in exercise training. it will always be respected for each subject's safety tolerance while challenging. hypothesis: the investigators hypothesize that the protocol will be feasible exercise interventions for people with cll and will improve health and fitness markers. it is also expected to have a positive correlation between physical fitness improvement and blood and immunologic parameters.

Eligibility criteria:
inclusion criteria: * confirmed diagnosis of cll as per the international workshop on cll guidelines * no history of previous treatment of cll * able to walk on a treadmill or cycle ergometer * able to carry weights, or use weight machines * pass initial evaluations (cpet for cardiac health, isokinetic for muscular health) * willing to adhere to the exercise program * signed informed consent exclusion criteria: * previous cll treatments * ongoing engagement in a regular exercise program * indication of disease progression and for starting treatment within 6 months * other primary tumour * inability to perform exercise (heart disease, advanced stage respiratory, renal, hepatic, neurological, or osteoarticular disease) * unable to travel to fadeup facilities or comply with other study requirements

Keywords: strength training physical activity chronic lymphocytic leukemia vigorous physical activity