Sanofi has launched the first personalized program to encourage physical activity in patients with multiple myeloma, EnforMMa. This initiative is supported by the SEHH Medical Society and is supported by the CEMMP and AEAL patient associations.
Sanofi is supported by a multidisciplinary group of health professionals and the Spanish Community of Patients with Multiple Myeloma and Patients with Lymphoma, Myeloma, Leukemia and Myeloproliferative Syndrome (AEAL) and the Spanish Society of Hematology and Hemotherapy (SEHH). ,
Multiple myeloma (MM) is a type of cancer that occurs when blood cells grow uncontrollably, secreting excessive monoclonal proteins (M proteins) that destroy bone tissue. It is the second most frequent hematological cancer after lymphoma with a median age of 70 years.
Multiple myeloma causes a fragile functional state. The main clinical manifestations are related to the loss of bone mass, a fact that can lead to pain, hypercalcemia and fractures. For all these reasons, the nature of this disease leads to a decline in the quality of life of those who suffer from it.
The incorporation of exercise may contribute to improving patients’ physical and emotional functioning. EnforMMA provides a physical exercise program adapted to a careful and detailed assessment of the characteristics of each of them (age, stage of treatment, nutritional status, etc.).
Maria Victoria Mateos, director of the myeloma unit at the University Hospital of Salamanca, has said in this regard that “myeloma is a disease in which great progress is being made in its treatment, which has led to a very significant increase in the survival of patients. However, supportive It is necessary to focus on care that improves the quality of life of patients, and physical exercise is one of them, always guided by experts and adapted to the characteristics of each patient.
In addition to improving the quality of life of patients with multiple myeloma, the main objectives of EnforMMa are to promote an active lifestyle, improve tolerance to the disease process, rehabilitation for medical treatment, and physical-functional improvement of the patient.
Physical exercise produces great health benefits, contributes to maintaining good physical condition and improves a sense of well-being. However, it is important to regularize, schedule and control it.
The benefits of exercise in patients with MM include physical, psychological and psychosocial factors.
Lung and heart capacity, balance and joint function, treatment-related symptoms (sleep disturbances and fatigue), mood, and avoidance of isolation improve. Physical activity should be considered part of treatment.
Teresa Regueiro, president of the Spanish Community of Patients with Multiple Myeloma, said in this regard that “It is good for patients with multiple myeloma to know that they can do exercises adapted to each one’s possibilities. Exercise is always better than sitting all day. The patient will feel better physically and emotionally, and have more stability seeing that he or she can exercise like many other people.”
EnforMMa offers a hospital kit to help you exercise. Patients with multiple myeloma who wish, through their general practitioner, will receive a guide with individual indications and recommendations for exercise based on their physical condition.
It also provides a brief guide to answer frequently asked doubts. You’ll also have access to tutorial videos of the routine via QR code. The brochure contains the exercises that make up the training program (cardio or aerobic, strength, balance and stretching, flexibility and relaxation).
The aim of this program is to motivate patients to be as independent as possible and to integrate exercise into their daily lives, establishing it as a routine and a priority. A group of experts has been appointed to develop EnformMMa.
In addition to 2 coordinators (Dr. Raúl Córdoba, hematologist from the Jiménez Diaz Foundation and Dr. María Victoria Mateos, hematologist from the Complejo Auxiliary Universitario de Salamanca), 10 health professionals from different disciplines have been the architects to create these guidelines. Physical Activity: Dr. Fernando Escalante, hematologist at the Hospital de León; Dr. Concepcion Boque, hematologist at Duran Eye Renals Hospital; Dr. Javier Martínez Peromingo, oncogeriatrician and social-hygiene coordinator at the Madrid Health Service; Dr. Francisco Tarazona, geriatrician at La Ribera University Hospital; Dr. Miriam Rodriguez, Geriatrician at the Jimenez Diaz Foundation; Dr. Carolina Dasen, endocrinologist at the Jimenez Diaz Foundation; Dr. Astrid Teixeira, Rehabilitation Physician at the Jimenez Diaz Foundation; Dr. Carmen Gómez, specialist in sports medicine at the University of Valencia; and Marta del Pecho, physiotherapist at the Jiménez Díaz Foundation.
Raúl Córdoba hematologist and coordinator of the Lymphoma Unit of the Jiménez Díaz Foundation University Hospital, has said in this regard that “Physicians in general and hematologists in particular need to learn to prescribe physical exercises to our patients. In addition, we need to learn the specific characteristics of each pathology.” characteristics, as in the case of patients with multiple myeloma and an increased risk of bone fractures or the presence of pain as a clinical manifestation of the disease. A multidisciplinary approach in patients with hematological diseases is increasingly is becoming necessary.
