ABSTRACT

RELEVANCE. This article is devoted to the study of the effect of the level of daily physical activity on the functional state, cognitive performance and quality of life of patients with central nervous system tumors and brain metastases. Even though brain tumors make up a relatively small percentage of all malignant neoplasms, they have a significant negative impact on the physical and mental health of patients.

AIM. Assessment of the impact of the level of daily physical activity on cognitive functions, exercise tolerance, and quality of life in patients with tumors of the central nervous system or metastases of tumors of other locations in the brain.

MATERIALS AND METHODS. The study involved 30 patients suffering from a primary brain tumor or having brain metastases from tumors of other localizations. To assess physical functioning, the Rivermead Mobility Index, Short Physical Performance Battery (SPPB), the "clock test" for assessing cognitive functions and a specialized FACT-Br questionnaire for assessing quality of life were used.

RESULTS AND DISCUSSION. According to the results of the study, 30% of patients regularly played sports before the disease manifestation, but only half of them maintained a high level of daily activity during antitumor therapy (55.5% of men; 50% of women). According to objective indicators (Rivermead index and SPPB), patients maintained a moderate level of functional activity. A statistically significant positive correlation was noted between physical condition (SPPB, Rivermead) and cognitive functions (clock test). Quality of life assessment (FACT-Br) revealed a significant decrease in physical and emotional well-being, as well as pronounced problems associated with the disease, which is reflected in the low overall FACT-Br index.

CONCLUSION. Brain tumors have a significant negative impact on the physical and mental health of patients. Maintaining a high level of physical activity is associated with improved mobility, cognitive function, and quality of life. This effect is thought to be due to modulation of biological processes, in particular, increased levels of neurotrophic factors that promote neuroplasticity and recovery. Incorporation of physical exercise into complex therapy represents a promising approach to improve clinical outcomes and reduce the severity of symptoms. Further research is needed to optimize physical rehabilitation programs and to better understand the mechanisms by which physical activity influences the course of the disease and prognosis.

KEYWORDS: brain tumors, physical activity,; cognitive functions, quality of life, oncorehabilitation

For citation: Blinova K.A., Mishina I.E., Berezina E.V., Parfenov A.S., Skarskaya E.M., Kostrygin A.K. The Role of Physical Training in Medical Rehabilitation of Patients with Primary and Metastatic Tumors of the Central Nervous System: a Cohort Clinical Study. Comorbidity Neurology. 2025; 2 (3): 7-13. https://doi.org/10.62505/3034-185x-2025-2-3-7-13

*For correspondence: Ksenia A. Blinova, Ph.D. Sci. (Med.), assistant Department of Oncology and Radiation Therapy, Ivanovo State Medical University, Ivanovo, Russia, e-mail: xenny7@yandex.ru

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ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

Ksenia A. Blinova, Ph.D. Sci. (Med.), assistant Department of Oncology and Radiation Therapy, Ivanovo State Medical University, Ivanovo, Russia. E-mail: xenny7@yandex.ru. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2896-8764

Irina E. Mishina, Dr. Sci. (Med.), Professor, First Deputy Director of the Medical Institute, Saint Petersburg State University, Saint Petersburg, Russia. E-mail: mishina-irina@mail.ru. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7659-8008

Elena V. Berezina, Dr. Sci. (Techn.), Associate Professor, Head of the Department of Physics, Chemistry and Mathematics, Ivanovo State Medical University, Ivanovo, Russia. E-mail: elena_berezina@mail.ru. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6958-0619

Alexander S. Parfenov, Ph.D. Sci. (Techn.), Associate Professor of the Department of Physics, Chemistry and Mathematics, Ivanovo State Medical University, Ivanovo, Russia. E-mail: alsparf@gmail.com. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5729-4121

Elizaveta M. Skarskaya, student, Ivanovo State Medical University, Ivanovo, Russia. E-mail: liza.skarskaya@mail.ru. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0005-4718-4155

Alexander K. Kostrygin, Ph.D. Sci. (Med.), Head of the Department of Oncology and Radiation Therapy, Ivanovo State Medical University, Ivanovo, Russia; Chief Physician, Ivanovo Regional Oncology Dispensary, Ivanovo, Russia. E-mail: kostrygin64@gmail.com. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1840-8111

Author contributions. All authors confirm that their authorship complies with the international ICMJE criteria (all authors made a significant contribution to the development of the concept, conduct of the study, and preparation of the article, read and approved the final version before publication). Special contributions: Blinova K.A. – writing – original draft, methodology, writing – review & editing; Mishina I.E. – supervision, project administration, writing – review & editing; Berezina E.V., Parfenov A.S., Skarskaya E.M. – formal analysis, investigation, writing – review & editing; Kostrygin A.K. – writing – review & editing

Funding. This study was not supported by any external sources of funding.

Disclosure. The authors declare no apparent or potential conflicts of interest related to the publication of this article.

Ethics Approval. The study was approved by the local ethics committee of the Ivanovo State Medical Academy (Ivanovo, Russia) (protocol No. 10 dated Dec 10, 2023).

Informed consent for publication. All patients, and if it is impossible to review and sign, persons responsible for the patients (relatives, social workers, etc.) on behalf of the patients undergoing examination and participating in this study, signed informed consent.

The content is available under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.

©2025. Ksenia A. Blinova, Irina E. Mishina, Elena V. Berezina, Elizaveta M. Skarskaya, Alexander S. Parfenov, Alexander K. Kostrygin