A new study suggests that a virtual program focused on diet and exercise may help patients with lymphoma better manage the side effects of their treatment and stay on track with their prescribed therapies. The early results come from the LIFE-L study, which will be presented by Melissa Lopez, Ph.D., RDN, at the American Society of Hematology annual meeting in Orlando.
Lopez, a postdoctoral associate at the Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center’s CRANE Lab, explained that most research on lifestyle interventions for cancer patients has centered on prevention or survivorship. "A lot of the work that has been done in the area of lifestyle and oncology has been in the prevention setting or in the survivorship setting after treatment," said Lopez. She noted there is little data about how such interventions might affect outcomes during active treatment.
The LIFE-L trial recruited 72 individuals undergoing standard six-cycle chemotherapy regimens for lymphoma. Tracy Crane, Ph.D., RDN, co-lead of Sylvester’s Cancer Control Program and director of lifestyle medicine, prevention and digital health, led the research team along with Craig Moskowitz, M.D., director of academic clinician development at Sylvester.
"Our goal with LIFE-L is to show that lifestyle interventions aren't just for prevention or post-treatment—they can make a real difference during treatment. If we can help patients feel stronger and reduce side effects, we're not only improving quality of life, we're supporting them in completing all of their prescribed therapy, which is critical for outcomes," said Crane.
Of those enrolled in the study, 44 patients received immediate access to a virtual program featuring weekly online coaching sessions with both a registered dietitian and an exercise physiologist throughout chemotherapy. The remaining 28 participants were placed on a waitlist control group.
The individualized sessions aimed to help participants maintain fitness levels and manage side effects. According to researchers, 81% of eligible patients joined the program. Attendance was high: diet sessions had an 86% attendance rate while exercise sessions reached 81%.
Patients who participated in the intervention reported lower rates of symptoms such as anxiety (17% compared to 34% in the waitlist group), depression (46% vs. 67%), pain (22% vs. 39%), fatigue (46% vs. 67%), and constipation (17% vs. 25%). They also showed greater grip strength and performed better on physical tests than those who did not receive immediate access to the program.
Researchers plan to continue monitoring whether reducing side effects helps patients adhere more closely to their treatment plans—a factor known to impact survival rates among people receiving chemotherapy for lymphoma.
"We know that if patients receive less than 85% of their prescribed chemotherapy, there are implications for survival," said Lopez. "The goal is to keep patients above the 85% and to do that, patients need to be healthy enough to be able to tolerate the dose that was prescribed."
Lopez hopes sharing these findings will encourage more clinicians to refer lymphoma patients to similar programs. "It's been very, very rewarding to see the physicians referring patients," she said. "The physicians are key stakeholders in all of this."
