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Context. Physical activity for women with early-stage breast cancer is well recognized for managing cancer-related symptoms and improving quality of life. While typically excluded from interventions, women with metastatic breast cancer may also benefit from physical activity.Objective. To 1) determine the safety and feasibility of a physical activity program for women with metastatic breast cancer and 2) explore the efficacy of the program.Methods. Fourteen women with metastatic breast cancer were randomized to either a control group or an 8-week homebased physical activity intervention comprising twice weekly supervised resistance training and an unsupervized walking program.Results. The recruitment rate was 93%. Adherence to the resistance and walking components of the program was 100% and 25%, respectively. No adverse events were reported. When mean change scores from baseline to postintervention were compared, trends in favor of the exercise group over the control group were observed for the Functional Assessment of Chronic Illness Therapy-Fatigue score (þ5.6 AE 3.2 vs. À1.8 AE 3.9, respectively), VO 2max (þ1.6 ml/kg/minute AE1.8 mL/kg/ minute vs. À0.2 mL/kg/minute AE0.1 mL/kg/minute, respectively) and six-minute walk test (þ40 m AE 23 m vs. À46 m AE 56 m, respectively). Conclusion.A partially supervised home-based physical activity program for women with metastatic breast cancer is feasible and safe. The dose of the resistance training component was well tolerated and achievable in this population. In contrast, adherence and compliance to the walking program were poor. Preliminary data suggest a physical activity program, comprising predominantly resistance training, may lead to improvements in physical capacity and may help women to live well with their disease.

Metastatic breast cancer is a disease of changing status-once an imminent death sentence, now a chronic (albeit incurable) disease. Medical intervention advances mean women with metastatic breast cancer now have symptoms alleviated and, potentially, life extended. Living with this disease, however, requires more than a medical approach to symptoms. We were interested to know whether women manage, and if so, how, to "live well" with metastatic cancer. We conducted interviews with 18 women. Women differed in the approaches they used. Most common was the attempt to reestablish a sense of normality in their lives. However, a second group reevaluated and reprioritized their lives; and a third group was restricted in their capacity to live well because of symptoms. The findings provide the foundation for future research exploring normalization of experiences of metastatic cancer, and other chronic illnesses, where people are living with knowledge that they have contracted time.

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New circumference and volume criteria based on normative data, taking arm dominance into consideration, will allow for more accurate diagnosis of changes in limb volume, allowing treatment to be started and monitored appropriately.