The effect of exercise interventions on quality of life in patients with multiple myeloma

Rebecca E Goodhew, Ben A Edwards

OAI: oai:www.repository.cam.ac.uk:1810/348710 • DOI: 10.17863/CAM.96136

PURPOSE: To determine the effect of exercise interventions on quality of life in adults with multiple myeloma. METHODS: A literature search of 10 sources was performed in June 2022 to identify eligible studies for synthesis. INCLUSION CRITERIA: randomised controlled trials comparing the effect of exercise interventions with usual care in adults with a diagnosis of multiple myeloma. The risk of bias was assessed using the Revised Cochrane risk-of-bias tool for randomized trials. Meta-analysis was performed using a random-effects model with inverse variance and 95% confidence intervals. Forest plots were constructed to present pooled data. RESULTS: Five RCTs, which included a total of 519 participants, were selected for inclusion. Four of the five studies were included in the meta-analysis. The mean participant age ranged from 55 to 67 years old. All studies included an aerobic exercise component. Intervention length ranged from 6 to 30 weeks. Meta-analysis of 118 participants showed that exercise interventions had no impact on global quality of life (MD = 2.15, 95% CI: - 4.67, 8.97, p = 0.54, I2 = 0%). Exercise interventions negatively impacted participant grip strength (MD: - 3.69, 95% CI: - 7.12, -0.26, p = 0.03, I2 = 0%) according to pooled data from 186 participants. CONCLUSION: Exercise interventions have no positive impact on the quality of life of patients with multiple myeloma. The analysis is limited by a high risk of bias across included studies and low certainty evidence. Further high-quality trials are needed to assess the role of exercise in patients with multiple myeloma.

Exercise Meta-Analysis multiple myeloma physical activity Quality of life Systematic review