Associate Professor Tina Skinner and Dr Jennifer Nicol from UQ’s School of Human Movement and Nutrition Sciences featured in a Health Translation Queensland article about new research using exercise to improve quality of life in people with multiple myeloma (MM).
The work for the MyeEx Study was developed and undertaken as part of the PhD thesis of Dr Jennifer Nicol. The study team included Associate Professor Michelle Hill (QIMR Berghofer), Associate Professor Tina Skinner and Dr Jennifer Nicol.
The MyeEx Study tracked 60 volunteers who participated in a randomised waitlist-controlled trial investigating the impacts of a 12-week, individualised exercise intervention in MM, a type of bone marrow cancer arising from plasma cells.
The research found a supervised, targeted exercise program can improve the quality of life and health of people with multiple myeloma across all disease stages.
“This is a significant outcome for people who are living with MM, and the first study of its kind conducted in Australia,” said Associate Professor Skinner.
“MM is a devastating disease that impacts people’s quality of life, their physical function, and their mental health. People with MM experience fatigue, muscle wasting, bone pain, fractures and lesions, anaemia, low platelets, and peripheral neuropathy.
“These findings support the inclusion of exercise as part of standard of care to improve the quality of life and health of people with MM.”
