Levels of Physical Activity and Sedentary Lifestyle in Patients With Hematological Cancer Treated With Monoclonal Antibodies as a Monotherapy or Combination Therapy (Immunochemotherapy): A Comparative Study With Healthy Individuals.
Pudełek M, Dybko J, Malicka I • Medical science monitor : international medical journal of experimental and clinical research • 2026
Patients with hematological cancer treated with monoclonal antibodies as monotherapy or immunochemotherapy show, regardless of age, lower levels of physical activity and longer sitting time than healthy individuals.
Key Findings
Results
Younger adults (18-64 years) with hematological cancer had significantly lower total physical activity scores than healthy peers.
Median IPAQ total score in the younger study group was 1235.00 compared with 3186.00 in healthy individuals (P<0.0001).
Participants were divided according to WHO recommendations into age groups of 18-64 years and 65 years and older.
All participants completed the International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ).
Study group included 155 patients treated for hematological malignancies; control group included 137 healthy individuals.
Results
Younger adults with hematological cancer spent significantly more time sitting than healthy individuals.
Median sitting time in the younger study group was 1200.00 versus 360.00 in healthy individuals (P<0.0001).
This represents more than three times the sitting time compared to healthy peers in the same age group.
Sitting time was assessed as part of the IPAQ questionnaire.
Results
Older adults (65 years and older) with hematological cancer did not show a statistically significant difference in total physical activity scores compared to healthy peers.
Median IPAQ total score in the older study group was 1188.00 versus 1777.00 in healthy individuals (P=0.25).
The difference was not statistically significant, unlike the younger age group.
Both groups were divided and analyzed separately according to WHO physical activity recommendations.
Results
Older adults with hematological cancer had significantly longer sitting times than healthy older adults.
Median sitting time in the older study group was 900.00 versus 300.00 in healthy individuals (P<0.0001).
This represents three times the sitting time compared to healthy peers in the same age group.
Significant differences in sitting time were observed across both age groups despite the lack of significant difference in total IPAQ score for older adults.
Background
Blood cancers account for 7% of all malignant neoplastic diseases worldwide, but survival rates have been increasing, highlighting the need for physical activity awareness in this population.
The increasing survival rate among hematological cancer patients was identified as motivation for studying physical activity levels.
The study targeted patients treated specifically with monoclonal antibodies as monotherapy or in combination therapy (immunochemotherapy).
The authors identified a need for education and promotion of physical activity in this patient group.
What This Means
This research compared the physical activity levels and sedentary behavior of 155 patients with blood cancers (hematological malignancies) receiving monoclonal antibody-based treatments against 137 healthy individuals. Participants completed a standardized questionnaire (the International Physical Activity Questionnaire, or IPAQ) and were grouped by age according to World Health Organization guidelines: adults aged 18-64 and adults aged 65 and older. The study found that younger blood cancer patients were far less physically active than healthy people of the same age — their total activity scores were less than half those of healthy peers — and they spent more than three times as long sitting each day. Among older adults, total activity levels were not statistically different between patients and healthy individuals, but cancer patients still sat significantly longer — about three times as long — as healthy older adults.
These findings suggest that blood cancer patients, regardless of age, tend to be much more sedentary than healthy people, even when their overall activity levels may appear comparable in older age groups. The particularly large gap in sitting time across both age groups is notable, as prolonged sitting is associated with various health risks independent of overall physical activity. The authors point out that because survival rates for blood cancers are improving, it becomes increasingly important to address lifestyle factors like physical inactivity in this growing population of survivors.
This research suggests that healthcare providers working with blood cancer patients receiving these treatments may need to proactively counsel patients on the importance of reducing sedentary time and increasing physical activity. The study underscores that survivorship care for hematological cancer patients should potentially include structured physical activity education and promotion programs, as inactivity appears to be common across all age groups in this population.
Check Your Own Numbers
Upload your bloodwork. We'll cross-reference your results against this study and 4,700 others.
Pudełek M, Dybko J, Malicka I. (2026). Levels of Physical Activity and Sedentary Lifestyle in Patients With Hematological Cancer Treated With Monoclonal Antibodies as a Monotherapy or Combination Therapy (Immunochemotherapy): A Comparative Study With Healthy Individuals.. Medical science monitor : international medical journal of experimental and clinical research. https://doi.org/10.12659/MSM.952307