Telehealth Exercise Program Benefit Patients with Advanced Melanoma on Checkpoint Inhibitor Therapy

A recent study has found that patients with advanced melanoma that are receiving checkpoint inhibitor therapy have benefitted from a telehealth exercise program. The program was found to be both feasible and safe, improving patients’ physical function and quality of life.

The study sought to determine the feasibility and preliminary efficacy of a supervised telehealth exercise program for patients receiving checkpoint inhibitor therapy amid advanced melanoma. Patients undergoing systemic therapies such as checkpoint inhibitor therapy often experience adverse events (AEs) such as fatigue, weakness, and significantly affected quality of life (QoL) and well-being. Current guidelines for several cancers recommend that exercise has long been recommended for patients during and/or after cancer treatment.

The study was an 8-week long non-randomized feasibility pilot trial. The study involved assessments before and after intervention and included participants with melanoma who were recruited from support groups, community events, and 3 hospital oncology departments in Australia. All participants were required to be at least 18 years of age, have a diagnosis of melanoma (stage III through IV), and be a current or future recipient of checkpoint inhibitor therapy.

During the 8-week intervention, participants took part in exercise sessions conducted via Zoom. All sessions were led by an exercise physiologist and were equal to or less than 60 minutes in length. Sessions included warm up and cool down, as well as aerobic, balance, and resistance exercises.

As a result of the intervention, no severe or life-threatening AEs were reported that could be attributed to exercise. The most common of these included moderate/severe fatigue, diarrhea, and rash. Furthermore, researchers examined exploratory endpoints, including cardiovascular capacity, functional performance, static balance, and upper body strength/endurance. Of these, they noted statistically significant improvements in each, observing a significant median increase in level of physical activity each week.

“Our findings on preliminary efficacy may be important given the association between cardiorespiratory fitness and muscle strength with independent living and survival in older patients and those living with cancer,” study authors wrote.

“Additionally, increased aerobic capacity, lower body muscle power, upper body strength and balance are associated with decreased fall risk among older adults. These observed gains may represent the translation of exercise effects to potential health benefits in this group of patients.”

A limitation of the study noted by investigators was the limited sample size involved in the trial. The researchers wrote, “The intervention appeared to improve physical function in this group of patients while preserving QoL. These are important findings to inform the design of future randomized trials, which should include larger patient numbers, a usual care control group, a longer exercise intervention, and objective measures of body composition.”

The study’s findings provide promising evidence to support the inclusion of telehealth exercise programs for patients receiving checkpoint inhibitor therapy for melanoma.

Credit: dermatologytimes.com

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