A Deep Dive into Understanding and Acting Against Blood Cancer
Leukemia, myeloma, and lymphoma act differently from other kinds of cancer which can cause confusion and frustration for patients who live with these diseases. Usually when people think about cancer, they picture invasive tumours and surgeries to remove aggressive disease growth or spread. But haematological or blood cancers do not manifest with this typical presentation and instead affect the function of our blood, bone marrow and lymphatic systems.
Leukemia, the most common form of haematological cancer manifests in the bone marrow. Multiple myeloma is a form of blood cancer which affects myeloma cells in our bloods plasma, and lymphoma is a cancer that resides within the lymphatic system. Although these cancers are different from each other and affect different areas they share similar mechanisms, symptoms and mechanisms of disease progression and treatment.
What’s Happening in the Body?
Haematological cancers disrupt the normal balance of blood cell developmental cycles, where blood cells naturally mature, die off and are replaced. This normal process is disturbed when these conditions emerge, causing blood cells multiply or proliferate uncontrollably. This imbalance in blood cell production can lead to symptoms such like anaemia (persisting fatigue) and immune system dysfunction leading to more common and severe infections or illness. Over time these symptoms can worsen, and disease can progress where cancer cells can spread to organs around the body and further hamper energy levels leading to conditions such as secondary sarcopenia a steep decline in muscle mass and function because of cancer progression or oncology treatment.
Common Treatments for Blood Cancers
Blood cancers like leukemia, lymphoma, and myeloma are often treated with a mix of approaches tailored to the type and stage of the disease.
- Chemotherapy: Powerful medicines that kill fast-growing cancer cells. These are often used first for aggressive cancers, sometimes alongside newer drugs.
- Targeted Drug Therapy: Pills or injections that attack specific parts of cancer cells.
- Immunotherapy: Treatments that help your immune system fight cancer. Examples include:
- Antibody drugs that mark cancer cells for destruction.
- CAR T-cell therapy, where doctors modify your own immune cells to hunt down cancer.
- Stem Cell Transplants: Replacing diseased bone marrow with healthy cells, either from your own body or a donor. This is often done after chemotherapy for cancers like myeloma or leukemia.
Managing Treatment Side Effects
Treatments for blood cancers can cause side effects that impact daily life. Many patients experience extreme tiredness (fatigue), which can last even after treatment ends. Muscle loss or weakness (called sarcopenia) is also common, especially after long-term treatment or steroid use. Some therapies, like chemotherapy or CAR T-cell therapy, may temporarily weaken the immune system, raising the risk of infections. Other issues might include nausea, hair loss, or nerve tingling.
The Importance of Exercise
Recent research has been closely monitoring behavioural variables and their relation to quality of life and function for patients living with blood cancer. Important takeaways when analysing the literature include:
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Resistance Training: Building Strength
What it is: Exercises using weights, resistance bands, or bodyweight.
How it helps:
- Preserves muscle mass: Counteracts secondary sarcopenia (muscle wasting) caused by treatment side effects like fatigue, steroids, or inactivity.
- Improves function: Strengthens muscles needed for daily tasks (such as, climbing stairs, carrying groceries).
- Evidence: Studies show 2–3 sessions per week (20–30 mins) at moderate intensity can increase muscle mass by 5–10% in cancer patients, even during chemotherapy.
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Aerobic Training: Boosting Energy
What it is: Activities that raise your heart rate (e.g., walking, cycling, swimming).
Why it helps:
- Reduces fatigue: Improves blood flow and oxygen delivery, combating the unrelenting sense of tiredness often linked to anaemia or chemotherapy.
- Supports heart health: Many treatments strain the heart; aerobic exercise acts as a protective buffer.
- Evidence: Just 150 mins/week of low-to-moderate activity can cut patient reported fatigue by 30–40% in trials.
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Dietary Intake: Fuel for Recovery
- Protein: Aim for 1.2–1.5 grams per kilogram of body weight daily to protect muscle from wasting.
- Calories: Treatments increase energy needs. Small, frequent meals with healthy fats (nuts, avocado) prevent weight/muscle loss.
Putting It All Together
- Better treatment tolerance: Stronger muscles and higher energy reserves help patients’ complete chemotherapy or transplants with fewer delays.
- Emotional resilience: Exercise releases mood-boosting endorphins, easing anxiety/depression.
- Long-term survival: Emerging data suggest patients who exercise and eat well have lower relapse rates and longer survival.
How We Can Help
At the EP group, we understand that navigating cancer treatment can be overwhelming. That’s why our dedicated team is here to support you with individualised, evidence-based exercise interventions designed specifically for cancer patients.
Our team of Cancer Exercise Specialists led by Molly Lowther and Mark Charalambous conduct group and private exercise sessions for individuals undergoing Cancer treatment and recovering from Cancer treatment at our clinic in South Yarra.
Contact us at admin@theepgroup.com.au or on 03 90295590 to find out more about how we can help you.