Exercise and cancer: a position statement from the Spanish Society of Medical Oncology

Abstract

Due to improvements in the number of cancer survivors and survival time, there is a growing interest in healthy behaviors, such as physical activity (PA), and their potential impact on cancer-and non-cancer-related morbidity in individuals with cancer. Commissioned by the Spanish Society of Medical Oncology (SEOM), in this review, we sought to distill the most recent evidence on this topic, focusing on the mechanisms that underpin the effects of PA on cancer, the role of PA in cancer prevention and in the prognosis of cancer and practical recommendations for clinicians regarding PA counseling. Despite the available information, the introduction of exercise programs into the global management of cancer patients remains a challenge with several areas of uncertainty. Among others, the most effective behavioral interventions to achieve long-term changes in a patient's lifestyle and the optimal intensity and duration of PA should be defined with more precision in future studies.

ATOPE+: An mHealth System to Support Personalized Therapeutic Exercise Interventions in Patients With Cancer

“…Both 1 TE and PA had consistently reported benefits to patients with cancer [3] and they are generally recommended for both prevention and treatment purposes [4]- [6]. There is also strong evidence supporting that, together with medical and surgery treatments, TE improves survival and reduces recurrence and mortality risks [7] due to its positive impact in factors related to quality of life [8]- [10]. This has recently driven the research community to seek after new means to deliver TE interventions in remote environments by leveraging mobile technology [11].…”

Impact of Rowing Training on Quality of Life and Perceived Health in Female Breast Cancer Survivors

“…One third of the diagnosed cancer cases could be prevented if exposure to various lifestyle-related risk factors were eliminated or reduced, such as the consumption of harmful substances such as smoking or alcohol, an unhealthy, high-calorie diet with a high intake of saturated animal fats and sugars, or a sedentary lifestyle [1,4,5,[7][8][9]. A large body of scientific evidence shows that physical activity has positive effects on the general population, improving health status, mood, body composition, quality of life [10][11][12][13][14], and preventing the onset of numerous diseases, including various types of cancer, such as breast cancer [12,15,16].…”

“…Physical activity has been associated with a lower risk of developing breast cancer [9,[16][17][18][19], with a decrease in the probability of relapse and with a higher survival rate [16,[19][20][21]. In individuals with cancer, physical activity has benefits for their health: reduced fatigue, improved strength levels, and improved quality of life and physical function [17,19,[22][23][24][25][26].…”

“…However, despite the evidence supporting physical activity, two out of three cancer patients do not perform the minimum levels of exercise recommended by the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM), which considers it essential to perform 150 minutes of moderate aerobic activity or 75 minutes of vigorous aerobic activity per week and at least 2 days of resistance training [16,24,27,28].…”

Impact of Rowing Training on Quality of Life and Perceived Health in Female Breast Cancer Survivors

“…One third of the diagnosed cancer cases could be prevented if exposure to various lifestyle-related risk factors were eliminated or reduced, such as the consumption of harmful substances such as smoking or alcohol, an unhealthy, high-calorie diet with a high intake of saturated animal fats and sugars, or a sedentary lifestyle [1,4,5,7]. A large body of scientific evidence shows that physical activity has positive effects on the general population, improving health status, mood, body composition, quality of life [8][9][10][11][12], and preventing the onset of numerous diseases, including various types of cancer, such as breast cancer [12,15,16].…”