General questionnaire
Overall, 27 patients (61%) reported having exercised regularly before their tumor was diagnosed, with no statistically significant difference between the two groups (14/21 [67%] in the GYM group, and 13/23 [56%] in the No-GYM). Leaving aside three patients who reportedly did not exercise even before they were diagnosed with cancer, 32/41 patients (78%) reported completely dropping out of any physical activity when their disease was diagnosed, 8/41(20%) significantly reduced their level of exercise, and only one continued to exercise as before. The main reasons for limiting their exercise or sports or dropping out were: fatigue (26/40); lack of time (11/40, partly due to frequent hospital visits); physical disabilities (amputation, in 1; problems leading to the inability to walk in 5); and the presence of a central venous device (2). Seventeen patients (43%) were discouraged from continued exercising because their tumor was regarded in itself as a contraindication (by general practitioners in 9 cases, by parents in 3 cases, by the patients themselves in 4 cases, and by the coach of their usual sports activity in 1 case).
Seventeen patients had already attended the hospital gym before this study was launched (and 12 of them reported not exercising regularly or engaging in any sports before their tumor was diagnosed), and were asked some additional questions referring to the period before the study began. Their reported motives for attending the gym were: to keep fit (8/17); to combat treatment-related side effects (3/17); to take their mind off their situation (12/17); to have an opportunity to socialize with their peers (2/17); to heal their relationship with their bodies (6). After starting to attend the hospital gym, they reported experiencing the following benefits: they felt physically fitter (8); they were better able to manage their anger (11), sadness (12), irritability (11), or anxiety (9); it helped to control side effects of treatment (nausea, vomiting), and improved their relationships with peers (5). Eleven of the 17 patients would have advised other patients to use the hospital gym. All 17 patients said they would not be worried about resuming their physical activities after completing chemotherapy, and 15 (88%) said they would come back to the hospital gym even after completing their cancer treatments, during their follow-up as outpatients (to get fitter before going to other gyms in 5 cases, to keep in touch with other patients in 5, and because the in-hospital gym was seen as a more ‘protected’ area in 5).