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Effectiveness and safety of inpatient rehabilitation in patients with hematologic malignancies
Seungwoo Cha1, Joon Young Hur2, Junghwa Do1
1Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, Asan Medical Center, University of Ulsan College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea.
Purpose:
Patients with hematologic malignancies often experience significant physical deconditioning from intensive treatment and prolonged hospitalization. This study evaluated the safety and effectiveness of inpatient rehabilitation and examined the association between rehabilitation dose and functional outcomes.
Methods:
This retrospective observational study included 34 inpatients with hematologic malignancies who received structured rehabilitation between January and December 2025. Functional capacity was assessed using the Cancer Functional Assessment Set (cFAS) before and after the intervention. Patients were stratified into three groups according to therapy dose: < 10, 10-20, and > 20 sessions.
Results:
The cohort (mean age = 61.6 years) demonstrated high systemic vulnerability, including anemia and hypoalbuminemia. Baseline characteristics were comparable across dose groups except for length of stay. Overall functional improvement was significant (p = 0.026). Mixed-effects ANOVA revealed a significant main effect of time and a significant group × time interaction, indicating greater functional gains with higher rehabilitation doses. Subgroup analysis identified significant improvement only in the > 20-session group (p = 0.022) but not in the < 10 (p = 0.950) or 10-20 (p = 0.125) groups. No major adverse events, including falls or bleeding, were observed despite low hematologic profiles.
Conclusion:
Structured inpatient rehabilitation was safe and associated with functional improvement for patients with hematologic malignancies, even in the presence of severe systemic vulnerability. Our findings suggest a dose-associated pattern, with higher rehabilitation frequency associated with greater functional recovery, although interpreted cautiously given confounding by length of stay. These results may support early and consistent integration of rehabilitation into standard care to maximize physical recovery in patients hospitalized for hematologic malignancies.
