The Sustained Impact of Physical Therapy on Physical Function in Long-Term Survivors of Pediatric Cancer

PURPOSE: To determine the sustained impact of physical therapy (PT) intervention during cancer treatment on long-term physical function in children and adolescents treated for noncentral nervous system cancers. METHODS: In a posttest-only nonequivalent groups observational design, 74 survivors over 5 years postcancer treatment (37 PT, 37 control) completed physical function testing. Differences in group means and relationships between demographics, ankle impairments, and activity limitations were analyzed. RESULTS: The PT group exhibited significantly greater dorsiflexion strength Z scores ( P = .008) and plantarflexion strength Z scores ( P = .003) than controls. Ankle range of motion and activity limitations were not significantly different. PT and age at diagnosis explained 24% of the variance in the 6-minute walk test. CONCLUSIONS: Our study suggests that PT during treatment in survivors of childhood cancer offers a sustained strength benefit. Future research should examine the dosing and adherence to PT in relation to impairments to optimize outcomes.