Effect of Respiratory Muscle Training on Physical Performance in a Group of Patients with Hodgkin's and Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma

BACKGROUND: In recent years, studies have tried to find the positive benefits of regular and controlled physical activity for cancer survivors. The purpose of this study was to examine the potential effects of respiratory training (RT) in a group of hematological patients. METHODS: Nine Hodgkin's lymphoma and two Non-Hodgkin's lymphoma cancer survivors (mean +/- SD age: 55.1 +/- 14.8 years, height: 172.0 +/- 9.49 cm, body mass 76.09 +/- 19.48 kg) participated in the study. All participants had finished their main oncological treatment (only chemotherapy or chemotherapy and radiotherapy) one to three months before the study. RT was realized with Threshold (R) IMT/PEP. During the training, the resistance level was set up to 30% of discovered maximum inspiration pressure (MIP)/maximum expiration pressure (MEP) (in a range of 5-20 cmH(2)O). RT lasted eight weeks, and patients performed an intervention on a daily basis. RESULTS: The results of this study did show that RT shows a significant increase in forced vital capacity (FVC) (+7.73%), MIP (+31.21%) and MEP (+14.50%). CONCLUSIONS: This study concludes that RT can have the positive effect on next regular and prescribed physical activity for cancer survivors.