Aerobic Exercise Improves Chemotherapy-Induced Peripheral Neuropathy: JAMA

Chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy (CIPN) is a distressing side effect experienced by many cancer patients, specially in ovarian cancer survivors. The condition can severely impact the quality of life for survivors, yet there has been no effective treatment available to alleviate its symptoms. A recent analysis of the Women's Activity and Lifestyle Study in Connecticut (WALC) published in the Journal American Medical Association has shown promising results in managing CIPN through a 6-month aerobic exercise intervention.

The WALC study, a multicentered, open-label, phase 3 randomized clinical trial, aimed to evaluate the effects of aerobic exercise on CIPN among women who had undergone chemotherapy for ovarian cancer. The study randomly assigned 134 participants, all females with an average age of 57.5 years, to either a 6-month aerobic exercise intervention or an attention control group. The exercise intervention involved home-based moderate-intensity aerobic exercises, guided by weekly telephone counseling from certified cancer exercise trainers. The attention control group received weekly health education telephone calls from WALC staff members.

The primary outcome of the analysis was the change in CIPN severity, as self-measured by the participants at baseline and after the 6-month intervention using the Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy/Gynecologic Oncology Group–Neurotoxicity scale.

The results were significant, demonstrating a notable improvement in self-reported CIPN scores among participants in the exercise intervention arm. At the 6-month mark, the exercise group reported a reduction of 1.3 points in CIPN scores, while the attention control group saw an increase of 0.4 points. The difference between the two groups was statistically significant at -1.6 points, indicating that the exercise intervention led to a positive impact on managing CIPN symptoms.

Furthermore, the analysis highlighted that the exercise intervention's effects were more pronounced in patients who had experienced CIPN symptoms at enrollment. Among these patients, the exercise intervention resulted in a reduction of 2.0 points in CIPN scores.

Source:

Cao, A., Cartmel, B., Li, F.-Y., Gottlieb, L. T., Harrigan, M., Ligibel, J. A., Gogoi, R., Schwartz, P. E., Esserman, D. A., Irwin, M. L., & Ferrucci, L. M. (2023). Effect of Exercise on Chemotherapy-Induced Peripheral Neuropathy Among Patients Treated for Ovarian Cancer. In JAMA Network Open (Vol. 6, Issue 8, p. e2326463). American Medical Association (AMA). https://doi.org/10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2023.26463