Childhood cancer (CCA) is a global and devastating disease. Although it is relatively rare compared to CA in adults, its incidence is still significant. The most common types of CCA include leukemia, central nervous system tumors, and lymphomas. The causes of CCA are not yet completely understood, but genetic, environmental, and immunological factors play important roles. Early diagnosis is...
Purpose:
This qualitative study used focus groups (FGs) to explore family experiences of CHAMPs (The CHildhood and adolescent cancer survivors physical Activity and Movement Programme). CHAMPs is a 12-week multi-component physical activity (PA) behaviour change intervention for childhood and adolescent survivors of cancer (CASC) aged 10 to 19 years.
Methodology:
CHAMPs aimed to...
BACKGROUND:
The role of fascia has gained significant attention, especially in the fields of sports medicine, but also recently in oncology. Understanding fascial pathology not only offers insights into the biomechanics and movement but also may reflect potential therapeutic targets for cancer patients. However, evaluation of fascial properties is not trivial.
**RESEARCH...
Background:
Emerging work in fascia biology and integrative oncology suggests that fascia is not a passive scaffold but a dynamic, innervated interface that shapes tumor mechanics, immune trafficking, and symptom burden. Fascial integrity, stiffness, and remodeling appear to influence local invasion, metastatic spread along tissue planes, and treatment-related fibrosis, with direct...
Background: Children undergoing cancer treatment exhibit significantly reduced physical activity, contributing to declines in physical function and quality of life during and after medical treatment. Despite guideline recommendations, exercise interventions are not sufficiently implemented into standard care, and consistent delivery is challenged by the varying inpatient and outpatient...
PURPOSES: Pediatric cancer patients exposed to anthracycline drugs are at high risk of cardiac dysfunction and early-stage of heart failure. Hence, chemotherapy-related cardiotoxicity is a long-term complication in childhood cancer survivors and is associated with mortality. Strategies to mitigate these effects are explored. Exercise has emerged as a promising intervention to address...
Purpose: Cancer and its treatments frequently induce detrimental alterations in body composition, which adversely affect patients’ prognosis and quality of life (QoL). This study investigated the impact of exercise on body composition, physical fitness, and QoL in patients living with cancer.
Methods: Patients with solid cancers treated at the University Hospital of Verona enrolled in a...
Background: Survivors of childhood and adolescent Hodgkin lymphoma (HL) exposed to cardiotoxic therapy face a substantially increased risk of long-term cardiovascular morbidity. Physical activity (PA) is a key modifiable risk factor for cardiovascular risk reduction; yet, sustainable PA promotion in survivorship care remains challenging. The Cardio-HOPE study evaluates whether digitally...
Background & Aims: Safe and unrestricted walking is essential for participation in everyday life. It depends on the balanced contribution of muscle strength and joint mobility, modulated by precise sensory feedback. In children with cancer, physical impairments like reduced strength, limited joint mobility, and balance deficits can disrupt this interplay, and lead to compensatory gait...
Introduction
Exercise is recognized as a key component of supportive care in cancer. However, adherence to exercise programs varies considerably among cancer patients, which may influence their effectiveness in improving functional capacity and body composition. Therefore, we aimed to investigate the dose–response effects of exercise on functional capacity and body composition in cancer...
Pediatric oncology is an area in which pharmacological treatments can lead to significant reductions in physical capacity, muscle strength, and overall quality of life. In recent years, adapted physical exercise has emerged as a safe and effective complementary intervention for oncology patients, although the literature still offers limited evidence. For this reason, the present study aims to...
Background: Head and neck cancer survivors (HNCS) endure side effects including loss of muscular strength and physical functioning, fatigue, and swallowing difficulties that impact quality of life (QoL). Our team previously conducted a single-group pilot study of heavy lifting strength training (HLST) in HNCS, that showed promising results. The proposed study will build on this work to further...
Introduction
Solid tumors are often characterized with abnormal vascular structures, reduced perfusion and endothelial dysfunction which collectively limits therapy delivery. Preclinical data suggest that aerobic exercise of high-intensity may create a tumor-suppressive environment, enhancing treatment efficacy. This study investigates the effects of high-intensity interval training (HIIT) on...
Introduction: Children undergoing cancer treatment frequently exhibit motor impairments; however, objective comparisons with normative motor development standard remain limited. Understanding the coordination deficits is essential to guide early and targeted rehabilitation strategies in pediatric oncology. Methods: This cross-sectional study evaluated gross motor coordination (GMC)...
*Introduction:*Pediatric sarcopenia is increasingly recognized in children and adolescents with cancer, as the disease and its treatments accelerate muscle mass and strength loss. Early detection is crucial to guide nutritional and functional care. Thus, the objective of this study was to compare two classification models of sarcopenia based on anthropometric indicators, muscle strength,...
Introduction: Childhood cancer treatment represents a highly challenging experience for the entire family. Changes in daily routines and uncertainty about the future can intensify emotional distress among family members. Objective: To examine the association between life satisfaction and emotional distress among family members of children undergoing cancer treatment. Method: This...
Objectives
Long-term effects of childhood cancer and its treatment can impair psychosocial functioning, which can influence engagement in physical activity. Identifying severity and affected domains is essential for designing effective interventions.
Methods
In this cross-sectional study, 84 Childhood Cancer Survivors (CCS) (41.6% male; 19.0 ± 3.4 years; 4.2 ± 3.3 years...
Background: Loss of skeletal muscle mass (SMM) is common during systemic cancer treatment, but the extent and variability across cancer and treatment types remain uncertain. This systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to describe changes in SMM during systemic cancer treatment.
Materials and methods: We systematically searched PubMed, Embase, and Web of Science until April 11, 2025, for...
Background: The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends adults to perform muscle-strengthening activities on two or more days per week at moderate or greater intensity. Muscle-strengthening activities and having sufficient skeletal muscle mass and strength are increasingly recognized for their role in improving health outcomes in both primary and tertiary prevention settings, including...
Background: Childhood cancer survivors (CCS) often experience long-term adverse effects that may compromise physical activity (PA) and cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF), with potential implications for psychosocial outcomes including depression, affect and distress. This study explored associations between physical- and psychosocial outcomes in CCS.
Methods: 84 CCS (42% male, 0.5-10 years after...
Introduction: Quality of life (QoL) is a central outcome in pediatric oncology, and both patient- and caregivers reported perspectives contribute to understanding overall well-being. However, it remains unclear whether children’s functional status influences the relationship between caregiver perceptions and self-reported QoL. This study examined the association between caregiver...
Background. Cancer-related sarcopenia is a unique form of muscle atrophy. No other type (immobilization, aging, microgravity, etc.) results in such profound impairment of patient prognosis. Considering that and given the absence of a curative treatment, we aimed to investigate the molecular basis of cancer-related sarcopenia and the role of exercise in its management.
Methods. Two...
Introduction
Exercise interventions are feasible and safe for patients with malignant lymphomas, with no evidence of increased adverse events. Allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation is a demanding therapy that significantly affects quality of life (QOL) and is associated with reductions in respiratory function, muscle strength and exercise capacity. Resistance training (RT) has...
Background: Adolescents and young adult (AYA) cancer survivors (18-39 years at diagnosis) face unique long-term challenges following treatment. Fatigue is among the most persistent problems, impairing health-related quality of life (HRQoL) and reducing workability. Many AYAs also engage in unhealthy lifestyle behaviours. My recent analyses from the Dutch SURVAYA data (~4000 AYA cancer...
