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Personalised and progressive neuromuscular electrical stimulation (NMES) in patients with cancer—a clinical case series

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Abstract

Purpose

Neuromuscular electrical stimulation (NMES) may be a pragmatic short-term alternative to voluntary exercise to augment cancer rehabilitation. However, previous attempts to use NMES as an exercise modality in this cohort have been unsuccessful, largely due to the use of NMES protocols that were developed for other rehabilitation contexts. We assessed the effects of a personalised and progressive NMES exercise intervention, designed with early-stage cancer rehabilitation in mind, on exercise capacity, lower body functional strength and quality of life in (QoL) in patients who are currently undergoing or have recently completed treatment for cancer.

Methods

Ten adult patients were recruited. A personalised and progressive NMES exercise intervention was implemented in each case over a 4–8-week period. The 30-s sit-to-stand test (STS), 6-min walk test (6MWT) and EORTC QLQ C-30 were performed pre- and post-intervention. Patients completed semi-structured interviews post-intervention to explore their experiences and views on the intervention and its impact on their daily lives.

Results

Six of the 10 recruited patients completed the intervention and completed pre-and post-assessments. Four of 6 patients improved STS, 5 of 6 patients improved 6MWT and 4 of 6 patients improved Global QoL. Perceived benefits included improved muscle strength and more confidence when walking.

Conclusion

A personalised and progressive NMES exercise intervention appears safe and may improve functional capacity and QoL in adults who are undergoing or have recently completed treatment for cancer. Replication of these results in a controlled prospective study is warranted prior to clinical implementation.

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Funding

D O’Connor and G Signorelli are supported by a grant from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under the Marie Sklodowska-Curie grant agreement no. 722012.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Public Health, Physiotherapy and Sports Science, University College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland

    Dominic O’Connor, Gabriel Signorelli & Brian Caulfield

  2. Insight Centre for Data Analytics, O’Brien Centre for Science, University College Dublin, Belfield Campus, Dublin, Ireland

    Dominic O’Connor, Gabriel Signorelli & Brian Caulfield

  3. Oncoavanze, Seville, Spain

    Dominic O’Connor, Matilde Mora Fernandez, Gabriel Signorelli & Pedro Valero

  4. University of Seville, Seville, Spain

    Matilde Mora Fernandez

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  1. Dominic O’Connor
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  2. Matilde Mora Fernandez
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  5. Brian Caulfield
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Correspondence to Dominic O’Connor.

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O’Connor, D., Fernandez, M.M., Signorelli, G. et al. Personalised and progressive neuromuscular electrical stimulation (NMES) in patients with cancer—a clinical case series. Support Care Cancer 27, 3823–3831 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00520-019-04679-3

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00520-019-04679-3

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