A study, conducted by researchers at Rochester, Minn.-based Mayo Clinic, examined how physical activity affected survival in all subtypes of lymphoma patients.
The researchers presented their findings Dec. 11 at the 59th American Society of Hematology annual meeting in Atlanta.
The researchers examined 4,087 lymphoma patients enrolled within nine months of diagnosis at Mayo Clinic between 2002 and 2012. The study subjects completed questionnaires about their level of physical activity before the lymphoma diagnosis when they were enrolled. The researchers also collected information on exposures and outcomes, and contacted patients for a three-year follow-up. They also asked patients if their perception of their physical activity levels had changed at three after their diagnosis.
Researchers found that patients who had a higher level of physical activity prior to a lymphoma diagnosis experienced significantly better overall and lymphoma-specific survival compared to those whose physical activity levels were not as high. Additionally, patients that increased their physical activity after diagnosis experienced better overall and lymphoma-specific survival as compared to those who didn't.
Patients who perceived that their physical activity levels had decreased at three years after their lymphoma diagnosis had worse overall and lymphoma-specific survival than those whose perception had not changed.
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