title: Differences in physical performance between men and women with and without lymphoma.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To describe and compare physical performance profiles in men and women with lymphoma with age- and gender-matched controls and to examine relationships among fatigue severity and physical performance in men and women with lymphoma.
  
  
  METHODS
  Case-control study.
  
  
  METHODS
  Outpatient lymphoma service in a major cancer teaching hospital.
  
  
  METHODS
  Fifty-one patients with lymphoma (26 women, 25 men), age- and gender-matched to 51 subjects without lymphoma.
  
  
  METHODS
  Not applicable.
  
  
  METHODS
  A physical performance test battery consisting of a 50-ft (15-m) walk, a 6-minute walk, forward reach, repeated sit-to-stand, repeated reach-up, timed belt tie, sock test, and coin test. Patients also completed the Brief Fatigue Inventory (BFI).
  
  
  RESULTS
  Multivariate analysis of variance was significant for main effects of group (F(8,89)=27.12, P<.05) and gender (F(8,89)=3.09, P<.05), and there was no significant interaction. Subsequent analyses found significant differences between groups and gender in the repeated reach-up task, forward reach, 50-ft walk, and distance walked in 6 minutes. Correlations among physical performance tasks and total BFI interference scores were moderate (r range,.27-.43; P<.05) for tasks involving upper extremity, and stronger (r range,.51 to -.73; P<.05) for tasks that involved whole-body movements.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  There is a leveling effect of lymphoma across gender on most tasks. The significant relations between physical performance tasks and fatigue are suggestive of the pervasive influence of fatigue on physical function.
authors.affiliation: School of Physical Therapy, Texas Woman's University, Houston, TX, USA.
authors.forename: Jeannette Q
authors.initials: JQ
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Maureen J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Simmonds
authors.forename: Xin Shelley
authors.initials: XS
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Diane M
authors.initials: DM
authors.lastname: Novy
mesh_terms: D016022:Case-Control Studies; D005080:Exercise Test / Q000379:methods; D017079:Exercise Tolerance / Q000502:physiology*; D005221:Fatigue / Q000503:physiopathology; D005260:Female; D006689:Hodgkin Disease / Q000503:physiopathology*; D006801:Humans; D008228:Lymphoma, Non-Hodgkin / Q000503:physiopathology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D012737:Sex Factors; D013647:Task Performance and Analysis