How physical activity affects quality of life in patients with UICC IV hepatobiliary and gastrointestinal cancer undergoing systemic therapy

Introduction: Hepatobiliary and gastrointestinal cancer is a prevalent form of cancer, yet there is a noticeable gap in research on the effects of physical activity on patients with UICC IV undergoing systemic therapy.

Methods: This prospective observational study aimed to investigate the influence of physical activity on quality of life. With the help of pedometers and activity diaries, 52 patients (pancreatic cancer n=16, gastric carcinoma n=8, esophageal carcinoma n=5, colorectal carcinoma n=11, hepatocellular carcinoma n=11, cholangiocellular carcinoma n=7) documented their daily physical activity three times for two weeks at intervals of 3 months. Additionally, their quality of life was assessed by EORTC QLQ-C30 questionnaires. For the final analysis, the patients were divided into three groups according to their physical activity (low, average, high).

Results: The results showed significant changes at baseline and after 3 months for the subscales physical functioning (Baseline: H(2)=27,54; p<0,001, 3M: H(2)=10,67; p=0,005) , role functioning (Baseline: H(2)=15,10; p=0,001, 3M: H(2)=13,53; p=0,001), fatigue (Baseline: H(2)=16,74; p<0,001, 3M: H(2)=8,04; p=0,018) and appetite loss (Baseline: H(2)=15,88; p<0,001, 3M: H(2)=12,54; p=0,002) in favor for physical activity. For global health/quality of life (H(2)=7,22; p=0,027) and nausea and vomiting (H(2)=6,05; p=0,049), differences reached significant levels only at baseline.

Conclusion: This study shows that even patients with hepatobiliary and gastrointestinal cancer UICC IV undergoing systemic therapy can benefit from physical activity during their treatment. This could give these patients a sense of control by improving their quality of life. Therefore, patients need to be informed about.

Publication History

Article published online:
20 January 2025