Author(s): WYPYRSCZYK, L., DREISMICKENBECKER, E., KÜHN, M., NEU, M.A., DIEL, H., FABER, J., Institution: UNIVERSITY MEDICAL CENTER OF THE JOHANNES GUTENBERG-UNIVERSITY MAINZ, Country: GERMANY, Abstract-ID: 1714

INTRODUCTION:
Pain is a common symptom in childhood cancer patients, which is a burden not only during cancer treatment but also beyond. Strategies to reduce pain perception are therefore of great importance for these patients. Recent studies in adults have demonstrated that acute exercise can lead to a temporary reduction in pain perception and an increase in pain thresholds, a phenomenon known as exercise-induced hypoalgesia (EIH). The aim of this pilot study was to determine whether acute endurance exercise on a cycle ergometer induces EIH in childhood cancer patients.
METHODS:
A total of 13 childhood cancer patients aged 11.0 ± 4.9 years were examined following the completion of intensive cancer treatment. To measure the effects of potential EIH, pressure pain thresholds (PPT) were measured using a handheld pressure algometer (Citec Dynamometer CT3002; pain applicator). Immediately before and after an acute endurance exercise, punctual pressure was applied to the rectus femoris and deltoid muscle at a rate of 10 newtons per second. The endurance exercise consisted of a cycling protocol performed on an electronically braked cycle ergometer (Corival Pediatric or Corival CPET, Lode BV, Groningen, Netherlands) using a modified Godfrey protocol to voluntary exhaustion. A Wilcoxon signed-rank test was performed to analyze the differences in PPT before and after the endurance exercise. The significance level was set at p < 0.05, and effect sizes (r) were interpreted in accordance with Cohens guidelines (r = 0.1 - 0.3: small effect, r = 0.3 - 0.5: moderate effect, r > 0.5: strong effect).
RESULTS:
The findings indicate a statistically significant increase in PPT following endurance exercise on the rectus femoris (z = 2.04, p = .038, r = .57) and on the deltoid muscle (z = 2.17, p = .028, r = .60). These effects can be considered strong.
CONCLUSION:
This pilot study suggests that acute endurance exercise may induce EIH in children with cancer. These findings indicate that exercise therapy could be a non-pharmacological approach to reduce pain perception in this patient group. However, further studies with larger sample sizes are needed to confirm these preliminary results.