Lymfit to Improve the Fitness and Quality of Life in Lymphoma Survivors

Lymfit to Improve the Fitness and Quality of Life in Lymphoma Survivors: A Randomized Controlled Trial

This randomized control trial seeks to determine whether a tailored and supervised exercise program adopting mobile-health technology will be able to improve fitness and quality of life among lymphoma survivors.

Lymphoma is the most common cancer diagnosed in young adults. While curing 80% of patients, lymphoma treatment has a significant impact on young adults' health and psycho-social wellbeing by increasing fatigue and anxiety, risk of cardiovascular disease and other chronic disorders, all of which compromise one's quality of life. Regular exercise has the potential to reduce the side effects associated with cancer treatments. Thus, the most recent guidelines suggest that cancer patients should engage in adapted exercise programs during and after their treatment.

However, these guidelines are not systematically recommended by doctors and are often not followed by patients. Fatigue and lack of motivation are the main barriers to exercise among cancer survivors. Our study aims to identify young adults lymphoma patients and encourage them to adhere to the exercise guidelines with the help of an exercise physiologist and a fitness tracker. The investigators will evaluate the efficacy of these strategies in motivating exercise among young adults lymphoma survivors. Our proposed study carries significant implications for the prevention of complications of treatment for young adults lymphoma survivors.

Inclusion Criteria:

1. newly diagnosed lymphoma patients who received an initial diagnosis at the age of age 18-39,
2. approved by their hematologist as having no contra-indications to vigorous exercise,
3. receiving or has received chemotherapy with curative intent within the past 6 months,
4. own a cellular phone that is able to download the Fitbit app and to complete the study questionnaires online in either French or English, and
5. has an Internet connection at home that supports participation in coaching sessions via videoconferencing (zoom).

Exclusion Criteria:

1. The patient has contra-indications to vigorous exercise,
2. the patient doesn't want to wear a fitness tracker due to various concerns (as no Fitbit data could be collected).