Clinical trial · Interventional
Effects of NMES and Exercise in Hematological Cancer
Effects of Neuromuscular Electrical Stimulation Combined With Resistance Exercises on Muscle Strength in Adult Hematological Cancer Patients: A Randomized Controlled Study
- Source
- ClinicalTrials.gov
- Retrieved
- Sep 8, 2026
- Layer
- normalized (units and labels harmonized; values unchanged)
- Run
- ING-CLINICALTRIALS-20260908-000001
Summary
Brief summary (as posted)
Physical activity levels of adult hematologic cancer patients are deficient. The resulting physical inactivity causes fatigue, muscle loss, and deterioration in physical performance values. However, physical exercise programs still play a minor role in treating hematological malignancies. In addition, there are no reliable data in the literature regarding risk factors, feasibility, and exercise results in individuals with hematological malignancies. Although it is known that the use of corticosteroids, which are among the drugs given during chemotherapy, causes muscle weakness, there are no physical exercise programs performed with this patient group in the literature. The current study aims to compare the effects of resistance exercise and resistance exercise combined with neuromuscular electrical stimulation on muscle strength, functional lower extremity strength, and mobility in hematological cancer patients during chemotherapy.
Conditions
Conditions (2)
Free-text conditions as registered, with the CancerIndex entity they were reconciled to and the match type.
| Condition (as posted) | Mapped entity | Match | Confidence |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hematologic Malignancy | Hematopoietic and Lymphoid Cell Neoplasm | ALIAS | 0.90 |
| Muscle Weakness | — | UNRESOLVED | — |
Interventions
Interventions (2)
| Intervention | Type | Mapped drug | Match |
|---|---|---|---|
| Neuromuscular Electrical Stimulation | Device | — | UNRESOLVED |
| Structured Exercise | Other | — | UNRESOLVED |
Design
Arms and outcomes
Arms (2)
- type
- EXPERIMENTAL
- label
- Resistance Exercise Group
- description
- The lower extremity resistance exercise (REx) program was designed by reviewing the exercise principles recommended by the ACSM and the literature on physical activity and hematological cancer patients. The patients were treated for 40-60mins, 6 weeks. The exercise program includes active movements of the upper and lower extremities, stretching exercises, and resistance exercises for the lower extremities. REx to be applied with resistance bands of different resistance or with the patient's body weight. Clinical force generation of therapy bands follows a progression. Our proposed training protocol includes 4-6 different exercises for each extremity. Intensity, sets, and reps were adjusted to a target score of 12 to 14 using the Borg scale. Patients performed 1 set of 10 repetitions of each REx based on their fatigue level. Intensity (\~ RPE 15-16) and resistance were gradually increased. When the patient complained of extreme fatigue, the resistance was reduced to the previous level.
- interventionNames
- Other: Structured Exercise
- type
- EXPERIMENTAL
- label
- NMES Training Group
- description
- In addition to resistance exercises, NMES will be applied to the quadriceps muscles in both legs of the patients in this group. The application will be made with a portable device using disposable electrodes. One of the electrodes will be placed proximally, that is, at the midpoint of the quadriceps muscle, while the second electrode will be placed on the distal part. In order to ensure that the patients get used to the device, low-intensity current with a frequency range of 5 Hz, 10-30 minutes. Afterward, the treatment program will continue with a high-frequency current with a frequency range of 50 Hz, 15 minutes. Participants were instructed to voluntarily contract the quadriceps muscles during periods of HF-NMES stimulation to increase the strengthening effect and improve NMES tolerance.
Eligibility
Eligibility (as posted)
- Sex
- All
- Minimum age
- 18 Years
- Maximum age
- 65 Years
Show eligibility criteria text
Inclusion Criteria: * Diagnosed with hematological cancer, * ≥ 18 years old * ECOG Performance Status to be between 1-3 * Hemoglobin; 8-10gr / dl and over * Receiving platelet support related to thrombocytopenia and/or having a platelet value of 20.000 mm3 or more * Leukocyte (WBC) count being 3000 μL and above * Giving written consent to participate in the study Exclusion Criteria: * Comorbidities that cause fatigue (eg multiple sclerosis, Parkinson's disease, heart failure) * Presence of previously diagnosed heart disease * Using a pacemaker * Rapid deterioration of the general condition (sudden uncontrolled weight loss, confused consciousness, high C reactive protein (CRP) values) * Brain metastasis or femoral bone metastasis * Having dementia or psychotic condition * Being depressed and /or taking medication to treat depression * Presence of epilepsy * Presence of neuropathy * Having sensory defects in the NMES application area * Denying NMES application
References
Publications (1)
- DERIVEDSafran EE, Mutluay F, Uzay A. Effects of neuromuscular electrical stimulation combined with resistance exercises on muscle strength in adult hematological cancer patients: A randomized controlled study. Leuk Res. 2022 Oct;121:106932. doi: 10.1016/j.leukres.2022.106932. Epub 2022 Aug 22. PMID 36027848