Impact of Sarcopenia on Outcome of Exercise Therapy in Older Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma Patients

The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of exercise therapy on physical function and quality of life (QOL) in older patients with non-Hodgkin lymphoma undergoing inpatient chemotherapy, including differences between patients with and without sarcopenia.

Thirty-one inpatients aged 70 years or older participated in this study. Grip and knee extensor strength, 6-minute walking test, body composition, nutritional status, fatigue and health-related QOL at admission and discharge were compared. In addition, the patients were classified into sarcopenic and non-sarcopenic groups, and a comparison between admission and discharge and 2-way ANOVA were performed.

Overall, grip strength and skeletal muscle mass were significantly lower at discharge than at admission (P < .05); however, QOL significantly improved (P < .05). In the non-sarcopenia group, grip strength, right knee extension muscle strength, and skeletal muscle mass were all significantly lower at discharge than at admission (P < .05); however, this was not the case in the sarcopenia group. In terms of QOL, improvements were observed in different items in the non-sarcopenia and sarcopenia groups. There was a significant interaction between admission to discharge time period and sarcopenia regarding left grip strength, right knee extensor strength, and QOL.

Exercise therapy is effective in improving QOL in older non-Hodgkin lymphoma patients undergoing inpatient chemotherapy. However, the effect of exercise therapy and optimal exercise load may differ between non-sarcopenia and sarcopenia patients. Therefore, it is necessary to consider exercise therapy in the future, taking into account the presence or absence of sarcopenia.