Related Experiment Video
Updated: Apr 27, 2026
Home-Based Prescribed Pulmonary Exercise in Patients with Stable Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease
Published on: August 24, 2019
Feasibility and initial effectiveness of home exercise during maintenance therapy for childhood acute lymphoblastic
Adam J Esbenshade1, Debra L Friedman, Webb A Smith
1Department of Pediatrics (Drs Esbenshade and Friedman), Vanderbilt University School of Medicine and the Monroe Carell Jr. Children's Hospital at Vanderbilt, Nashville, Tennessee; Departments of Epidemiology and Cancer Control (Mr Smith and Drs Robison and Ness) and Oncology (Drs Jeha and Pui), St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, Tennessee; Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center (Drs Esbenshade and Friedman), Nashville, Tennessee.
Purpose:
Children with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) are at increased risk of obesity and deconditioning from cancer therapy. This pilot study assessed feasibility/initial efficacy of an exercise intervention for patients with ALL undergoing maintenance therapy.
Methods:
Participants were aged 5 to 10 years, receiving maintenance therapy, in first remission. A 6-month home-based intervention, with written and video instruction, was supervised with weekly calls from an exercise coach. Pre- and poststudy testing addressed strength, flexibility, fitness, and motor function.
Results:
Seventeen patients enrolled (participation 63%). Twelve (71%) finished the intervention, completing 81.7 ± 7.2% of prescribed sessions. Improvements of 5% or more occurred in 67% for knee and 75% for grip strength, 58% for hamstring/low-back and 83% for ankle flexibility, 75% for the 6-Minute Walk Test, and 33% for performance on the Bruininks-Oseretsky Test of Motor Proficiency Version 2.
Conclusions:
This pilot study demonstrated that exercise intervention during ALL therapy is feasible and has promise for efficacy.
