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The Sustained Impact of Physical Therapy on Physical Function in Long-Term Survivors of Pediatric Cancer
Lynn R Tanner1, Katherine I Wacker2, Jessica A Ovans3,4
1Research Institute, Children's Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota (Dr Tanner).
Purpose:
To determine the sustained impact of physical therapy (PT) intervention during cancer treatment on long-term physical function in children and adolescents treated for noncentral nervous system cancers.
Methods:
In a posttest-only nonequivalent groups observational design, 74 survivors over 5 years postcancer treatment (37 PT, 37 control) completed physical function testing. Differences in group means and relationships between demographics, ankle impairments, and activity limitations were analyzed.
Results:
The PT group exhibited significantly greater dorsiflexion strength Z scores ( P = .008) and plantarflexion strength Z scores ( P = .003) than controls. Ankle range of motion and activity limitations were not significantly different. PT and age at diagnosis explained 24% of the variance in the 6-minute walk test.
Conclusions:
Our study suggests that PT during treatment in survivors of childhood cancer offers a sustained strength benefit. Future research should examine the dosing and adherence to PT in relation to impairments to optimize outcomes.
