Handgrip Strength and Two-Type Exercise: Association and Impact on Psychological Wellbeing in High-Grade Glioma Patients

Background: Regular exercise is believed to positively impact the mental well-being of cancer patients. There is a growing body of literature demonstrating a correlation between hand grip strength (HGS) and psychological well-being. Limited data exists for high-grade glioma (HGG) patients post-resection and radiochemotherapy. This randomized control study compared strength and endurance training to an active control group, assessing their influence on mental well-being. Additionally, the correlation between HGS and participant’s mental well-being was investigated.
Methods: A total of 10 participants (mean age = 56 years, 50% male) were enrolled. Following tumor resection, participants were randomized during adjuvant radiotherapy and/or chemotherapy. The three conditions were as follows: active control group (n = 3), strength training (n = 3), and endurance training (n = 4). At baseline, after three weeks and after six weeks, participants were interviewed and assessed. The evaluation included self-administered questionnaires and expert assessments to determine perceived stress, fatigue, anxiety, fatigue, insomnia and depressive symptoms. HGS was assessed with a handgrip strength test.
Results: The results of the present study need to be interpreted considering the limited number of participants. The findings suggest that during radiochemotherapy, both exercise interventions reduced stress levels, while strength training reduced depressive symptoms and anxiety as well. HGS was found to be inversely correlated with psychological wellbeing. The endurance group showed the most correlation with stress, sleep and depression.
Conclusion: During radiochemotherapy, both exercise interventions demonstra-ted stress reduction. Strength training demonstrated benefits in reducing depressive symptoms and anxiety, emphasizing its potential in holistic patient care.
The inverse correlation between HGS and psychological well-being underscores the importance of physical fitness in this context, while the distinct correlations in the endurance group emphasizes the nuanced impact of different exercise approaches on psychological well-being.