Prehabilitation Exercise Training in Multiple Myeloma Patients Undergoing Autologous Stem Cell Transplantation

Inclusion criteria

• Over 18 years old.
• All patients will have a diagnosis of multiple myeloma, referral to DFCI transplant team, and assigned to the autologous transplantation waiting list for a first transplant.
• Planning to receive autologous stem cell transplant after 8 weeks with or without concurrent neoadjuvant treatments at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute.
• Medical clearance to perform moderate-vigorous intensity aerobic and resistance exercise intervention and fitness testing by their treating physician or a certified clinical exercise physiologist.
• Speak English.
• Currently participate in less than or equal to 60 minutes of structured moderate-vigorous intensity exercise/week.
• Willing to travel to Dana-Farber Cancer Institute for necessary data collection.
• Ability to understand and the willingness to sign a written informed consent document.
• The effects of exercise on the developing fetus are unknown. For this reason, women of child-bearing potential must agree to undergo a pregnancy test and to use adequate contraception (hormonal or barrier method of birth control or abstinence) prior to study entry and for six months following duration of study participation. Should a woman become pregnant or suspect that she is pregnant while participating on the trial, she should inform her treating physician immediately.

Exclusion criteria

• History of unstable angina, abnormal resting ECG and/or unstable angina or a heart attack in the previous month to allow safe completion of the cardiopulmonary exercise test (CPET) or VO2peak test.
• Patients with known spinal instability, spinal cord compression or neurological deficits or contraindications that preclude exercise.
• Those who have had recent (within six weeks) spinal surgery or other intervention surgery for pathological fractures.
• Those deemed unsuitable to partake by the transplant or study team.
• Patients at high-risk of impending pathologic fracture of a weight-bearing bone (including spine, hip/femur and humerus) as determined by physician.
• Unable or unwilling to undertake an exercise program on a regular basis.
• Pre-existing musculoskeletal or cardiorespiratory disease, or metabolic diseases that could exacerbate with exercise, in addition to other conditions deemed unsafe by physician.
• Patients with other active malignancies requiring active therapy.
• Participate in more than 60 minutes of structured moderate to vigorous intensity exercise/week.
• Unable to travel to Dana-Farber Cancer Institute for necessary data collection.
• Subjects, who in the opinion of the investigator, may not be able to comply with the safety monitoring requirements of the study.