#2892 The role of physical activity in onco-nephrology; a new weapon in the management of urological malignancies
Authors: Trevisani Francesco , Laurenti Fabiana , Fiorio Francesco , Paccagnella Matteo , DI Marco Federico , Capitanio Umberto , Salonia Andrea , Montorsi Francesco , Bettiga Arianna 
Published: May 2024

Background and Aims

New clinical evidence demonstrated that Physical Activity (PA) brings numerous benefits both at the level of Health-RelatedQuality of Life (HRQoL), biological mechanisms and at the psychological level. Indeed, it is well known that cancer treatments results in a series of symptoms and side effects that debilitates the patients with cancer and can be counteracted with physical activity. PA has an effect on several aspects of biological mechanisms: sex hormones, metabolic hormones, inflammation and adiposity, and immune function. Furthermore, strong evidence shows that aerobic or combined (aerobic and endurance) training reduces symptoms of anxiety, depression and fatigue. Combined training also leads to improvements in HRQoL, preventing and improving muscle loss and sarcopenia. This study aims to assess the influence of physical activity on this improved scenario.

Method

A consecutive cohort of 82 pts was enrolled in the Urological Department at San Raffaele Scientific Institute between 2018-2021. The control group (CT) was composed of 31 patients affected by CKD alone (GFR &lt; 60 ml/min/1.73 m2, K-DIGO 2012 classification) and 51 patients with CKD and a recent history of urological malignancies (within 12 months) represented the case group (CS). Inclusion criteria were: Age (&gt;18 years old), eGFR (&lt;60 ml/min/1.73), Malnutritional Screening Tool (MST&lt;2), Urological Cancer aggressiveness (no metastatic process), Informed consent (signed). Each patient underwent an initial nephrological and nutritional evaluation during which a conventional CKD Mediterranean-like diet with a controlled protein intake (MCPD) (0.6-1 g total protein/kg body weight/die and 30-35 kcal/kg body weight/die) was prescribed together with physical activity recommendation according to The National Kidney Foundation (NKF) for a period of 6 months (±2 months). Physical activity recommendations included some aerobic exercise for 30 min on most days of the week, plus other activities to increase muscle strength (exercises with resistance bands) e/o to improve flexibility (such as stretching) once or twice a week. To assess the influence of physical activity within the collaborative nephrologist-nutritionist approach (NNCA) on enhanced kidney function, the Rapid Assessment of Physical Activity (RAPA) test was administered to each patient. The test consists of two indicators: RAPA 1 will indicate aerobic physical activity levels (from 0=sedentary to 7=physically active), while RAPA 2 will indicate other types of exercises (0=none; 1=strength; 2=flexibility; 3=both). Subsequently, Bioelectrical Impedance Analysis (BIA) was conducted on all participants in the cohort to collect data on Body Cell Mass per height squared (BCM/h2), Phase Angle (PA), Extracellular Mass (ECM)/BCM, and Extracellular to Intracellular water ratio (ECW/ICW). Statistical analysis: Linear regression and Pearson's Chi-Squared test; Data analysis: R programming language and RStudio integrated development environment.

Results

Table 1 shows the patient's baseline characteristics. Table 2 shows anthropometric indices and parameters at pre- and post-dietary and nephrological intervention. Table 3 underlines the poor condition prevalent in CKD patients with or without oncological history, also confirmed by the low level of usual physical activity detected by the RAPA test at T0. Sure enough, our population was mainly inactive and sedentary. Results show that, after the intervention, our patients became regularly active (RAPA 1 score T0: 2.47; RAPA 1 score T1: 3.17; Delta = + 0.7, p &lt; 0.0001); the same trend was observed for RAPA 2 score (observed increase 14%, p &lt; 0.002).

Conclusion

Based on these findings, it can be inferred that standard clinical care should incorporate thorough assessment of both nutritional status and PA. The adoption of a MCPD, coupled with exercise training within a collaborative nephrologist-nutritionist approach, emerges as a potential strategy to enhance the HRQoL of this particular kind of patient.