The number of breast cancer survivors increases every year, thanks to the development of new treatments and screening techniques. However, patients present with numerous side effects that may affect their quality of life. Exercise has been demonstrated to reduce some of these side effects, but in spite of this, few breast cancer patients know and follow the exercise recommendations needed to remain healthy. In this review, we describe the different breast cancer treatments and the related side effects and implications of exercise in relation to these. We propose that exercise could be an integrative complementary intervention to improve physiological, physical and psychological factors that affect survival and quality of life of these patients. For that reason, the main objective of this review is to provide a general overview of exercise benefits in breast cancer patients and recommendations of how to design exercise interventions in patients with different side effects.

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Breast cancer patients suffer impairment in cardiorespiratory fitness after treatment for primary disease, affecting patients' health and survival. The aim of this study was to evaluate the ability of a pragmatic exercise intervention to improve cardiorespiratory fitness of breast cancer patients after primary treatment. Between February 2013 and December 2014, 94 women with early stage (I-III) breast cancer, 1-36 months post-chemotherapy, and radiotherapy were randomly assigned to an intervention program (EX) combining supervised aerobic and resistance exercise (n = 44) or usual care (CON) (n = 45) for 12 weeks. Primary study endpoint was VO 2max . Secondary endpoints were muscle strength, shoulder range of motion, body composition, and quality of life (QoL). Assessments were undertaken at baseline, 12-week, and 6-month followups. Eighty-nine patients aged 29-69 years were assessed at baseline and 12 weeks. The EX group showed significant improvements in VO 2max , muscle strength, percent fat, and lean mass (p B 0.001 in all cases) and QoL compared with usual care (CON). Apart from body composition, improvements were maintained for the EX at 6-month follow-up. There were no adverse events during the testing or exercise intervention program. A combined exercise intervention produced considerable improvement in cardiorespiratory fitness, physical function, and quality of life in breast cancer patients previously treated with chemotherapy and radiation therapy. Importantly, most of these benefits were maintained 6 months after ceasing the supervised exercise intervention.

This integrated intervention may produce lifestyle changes in breast cancer patients and survivors using the teachable moment to increase their leisure-time physical activity and, thereby, their QoL.

Objetivo; Investigar la influencia de un programa de ejercicio físico de intensidad moderada realizado durante toda la gestación sobre la percepción de salud de la gestante. Material y métodos; Se desarrolló un ensayo clínico aleatorizado controlado. 101 mujeres primíparas fueron distribuidas aleatoriamente en dos grupos (grupo control (GC) n=51, grupo intervención (GI) n=50, muestra perdida 13, 11.4%). El GI participó en un programa de ejercicio físico desde la semana de gestación 10-14 hasta el final de la gestación (70-75 sesiones de 55-60 min, tres veces por semana). El GC recibió la atención médica regular. Todas las gestantes rellenaron dos cuestionarios validados sobre salud percibida e incontinencia urinaria, antes y después de la intervención. Resultados; Se encontraron diferencias estadísticamente significativas entre grupos en la salud percibida al final de la intervención [muy buena: GI 35, 70% vs. GC 5, 9.8%; buena: GI 15, 30% vs. GC 16, 31%; regular GI 0, 0.0% vs. GC 26, 51%; mala GI 0, 0.0% vs. GC 3, 5.9%; muy mala: GI 0, 0.0% vs. GC 1, 2% (p<.001)]. Además el GI padeció menos incontinencia urinaria [Puntuación ICIQ-SF GI 0.30 (SD1.3) vs. GC 3.1 (SD4.1), p<.001]. Conclusiones; Un programa de ejercicio físico supervisado, de intensidad moderada realizado durante toda la gestación que incluya ejercicios de fortalecimiento del suelo pélvico, mejora la percepción  de la salud en las gestantes y es efectivo en la prevención primaria de la incontinencia urinaria.Palabras clave: ejercicio físico; embarazo; percepción salud; incontinencia urinaria.Abstract: Aim: To investigate the influence of a moderate exercise program during pregnancy on the maternal health perception. Methods. A randomised controlled trial was performed. 101 primiparous women were allocated into the control group (CG, n=51) and the exercise group (EG, n=50), lost to follow-up 13, 11.4%. Women on the EC were asked to participate in a supervised exercise program during from 10-14 to 36 weeks of gestation (70-75 sessions, 55-60 min/session, three times per week). Women in the CG received usual care. All women were asked to fill in validated questionnaires about health perception and urinary incontinence before and after the intervention. Results. At the end of the intervention there were statistically significant differences between groups on health perception [very good: EG 35, 70% vs. CG 5, 9.8%; good: EG 15, 30% vs. CG 16, 31%; average EG 0, 0.0% vs. CG 26, 51%; poor EG 0, 0.0% vs. CG 3, 5.9%; very poor: EG 0, 0.0% vs. CG 1, 2% (p<.001)]. What is more, women in the EG showed less urinary incontinence [ICIQ-SF Score EG 0.30 (SD1.3) vs. CG 3.1 (SD4.1), p<.001]. Conclusions. A supervised physical exercise program during pregnancy which includes pelvic floor muscle training, improves health perception and it is effective on primary prevention of urinary incontinence.Keywords: physical exercise; pregnancy; health perception; urinary incontinence; quality of life.