Pediatric Early Rehabilitation in Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (PEACE)

Pediatric Early Rehabilitation in ACute Lymphoblastic LEukemia (PEACE): A Feasibility Study of a Hybrid Delivery Format

The purpose of this study is to determine the feasibility and acceptability of a hybrid in-person and virtual individualized physiotherapy program using the Healthy Eating and Active Living (HEAL-ME) online platform for children diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia. We would like to know if this type of hybrid program delivery model is feasible, and if children and their parents are willing and able to participate in the program. We will do this by recording how many, and what type of physiotherapy sessions (in-person or virtual) are completed, what resources offered on the platform are accessed, and how many children complete the assessments.

Study Overview

• Status: Completed
• Conditions: Neoplasms; Telemedicine; Pediatric Cancer; Physical Therapy
• Intervention / Treatment: Behavioral: Physical Therapy

Detailed Description

Acute lymphoblastic leukemia is the most common childhood cancer, representing approximately 25% of cancers in children. Improvements in survival rates have resulted in an increased number of children living with neuromuscular and musculoskeletal side effects of cancer treatments-effects that may persist or worsen over the long-term into adulthood.

The overall goal of the study is to determine the feasibility of a tailored physiotherapy (PT) program using an online platform for children diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia.

A quasi-experimental, single group, before and after intervention feasibility study will be conducted, comprising a convenience sample of a minimum of 10 children between 4 and 17 years of age undergoing or having completed chemotherapy treatment for acute lymphoblastic leukemia. Children will participate in a hybrid 12-week PT program delivered in-person at the Stollery Children's Hospital with educational components provided virtually via the Healthy Eating and Active Living web-based platform. Children will participate in six physical therapy sessions over a period of three months and will have the option to choose the mode of delivery: 1:1 in-person, 1:1 virtual, group virtual, or combination of all. The main outcome will be feasibility, as determined by recruitment and retention rates, completion rates of measurements, adherence to sessions, and safety and acceptability.

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Actual): 10
• Phase: Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• Canada
  • Alberta
    • Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, T6G2R3
      • University of Alberta

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: Child
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

1. Children diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia aged between 4 and 17 years (at time of diagnosis) and their mother, father, or primary carer;
2. Undergoing or completed cancer treatment as established by the Children's Oncology Group;
3. Access to the internet through a home computer or tablet;
4. Patient or caregiver is able to speak and comprehend English; and
5. The child is approved by their Oncologist to participate in the program.

Exclusion Criteria:

1. Children with a history of a neurodevelopmental or genetic disorder (i.e., Down syndrome, autism, seizure disorder) prior to the cancer diagnosis; and
2. Children with a concurrent condition (illness, disease, psychiatric disorder), as determined by oncologist or physiotherapist, that would compromise study participation or interpretation of study results.

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: Supportive Care
• Allocation: N/A
• Interventional Model: Single Group Assignment
• Masking: None (Open Label)

Number of Arms

1

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm

Intervention / Treatment

Experimental: Intervention; Children will participate in six PT sessions over the course of 12 weeks and will be provided with the option to choose their preferred mode of the delivery (i.e., 1:1 in-person, 1:1 virtual, group virtual, or a combination of all). The program will be tailored to the child's age, presenting symptoms, and preferred activities. Children and parents/ caregivers will be encouraged to carry out additional tailored PT sessions through their preferred mode of delivery and to access the exercise videos provided in the additional resources section of the HEAL-ME platform.

Behavioral: Physical Therapy; Each physical therapy session will commence with a 5-minute warm-up, with fun activities to mobilize the joints and activate the muscles, using the videos available in the HEAL-ME platform. The warm-up session will be followed by a 20 to 40-min program with tailored activities and games comprising jumping, squatting, skipping, balancing, and jogging. The session will finish with a 5-minute cool down with stretching exercises and a relaxation video from the HEAL-ME platform.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Retention rate	The number of participants completing the intervention and assessments	Post-intervention: 12 weeks

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Recruitment rate	Number eligible divided by the number of participants enrolling in the study	One year
Adherence to study intervention	Attendance rates for in-person and virtual physical therapy sessions	Post-intervention: 12 weeks
Adverse events	Number of serious and non-serious adverse events	One year
Acceptability	Satisfaction survey	Post-intervention: 12 weeks
Health-related Quality of Life	Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory Version 4: Total scale score, with higher scores reflecting better quality of life	Post-intervention: 12 weeks

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: University of Alberta
• Collaborators: Alberta Health services
• Investigators: Principal Investigator: Margaret McNeely, PhD, University of Alberta

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): April 15, 2024
• Primary Completion (Actual): December 31, 2025
• Study Completion (Actual): December 31, 2025

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: December 6, 2023
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: December 6, 2023
• First Posted (Actual): December 14, 2023

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): February 6, 2026
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: February 3, 2026
• Last Verified: February 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Neoplasms; Immune System Diseases; Neoplasms by Histologic Type; Hematologic Diseases; Lymphatic Diseases; Lymphoproliferative Disorders; Immunoproliferative Disorders; Leukemia, Lymphoid; Leukemia; Neoplasms; Therapeutics; Rehabilitation; Physical Therapy Modalities
• Other Study ID Numbers: HREBA.CC-23-0294

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

• Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?: YES
• IPD Plan Description: Data will be deposited on the University of Alberta's dataverse
• IPD Sharing Time Frame: when the study has been completed and after the findings are published
• IPD Sharing Access Criteria: Open access
• IPD Sharing Supporting Information Type: STUDY_PROTOCOL; ICF; CSR

Drug and device information, study documents

• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product: No
• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product: No