Exercise and side effects among 749 patients during and after treatment for cancer: a University of Rochester Cancer Center Community Clinical Oncology Program Study

Abstract

Cancer patients report exercising and appear amenable to attempting exercise during and within 6 months after treatment. Research is needed to assess (1) the frequency, intensity, duration, and mode of exercise; (2) randomized controlled trials with exercise and its influence on treatments and side effects; and (3) physician-patient communication regarding exercise during cancer treatment.

Exercise for Cancer Patients: Treatment of Side Effects and Quality of Life

“…Most cancer patients indicate that they do not discuss initiating or continuing an exercise program with their treating oncologist or primary care physician during throughout their cancer experience [ 5,[71][72][73] . Research shows that cancer patients want their oncologists to initiate discussion about exercise [ 74 ] .…”

“…This heterogenous response to treatment is the result of numerous factors including differences in cancer diagnosis, such as the type and stage of disease, the types of treatment used to treat the cancer, and the underlying health status of the individual [4][5][6] . Therefore, it is important to develop interventions that can be used by a wide range of cancer survivors that are capable of reducing numerous side effects simultaneously [4][5][6] .…”

“…This heterogenous response to treatment is the result of numerous factors including differences in cancer diagnosis, such as the type and stage of disease, the types of treatment used to treat the cancer, and the underlying health status of the individual [4][5][6] . Therefore, it is important to develop interventions that can be used by a wide range of cancer survivors that are capable of reducing numerous side effects simultaneously [4][5][6] . Exercise can be individually tailored and shows great promise as an intervention capable of improving side effects such as CRF, cardiotoxicity, bone loss, psychosocial symptoms, impaired immune function, neurotoxicity, and neuroendocrine dysfunction [4][5][6][7] .…”

“…Therefore, it is important to develop interventions that can be used by a wide range of cancer survivors that are capable of reducing numerous side effects simultaneously [4][5][6] . Exercise can be individually tailored and shows great promise as an intervention capable of improving side effects such as CRF, cardiotoxicity, bone loss, psychosocial symptoms, impaired immune function, neurotoxicity, and neuroendocrine dysfunction [4][5][6][7] . Exercise can be performed using a variety of modes, such as aerobic exercise, resistance training, and mindfulnessbased exercise, all of which have been found to reduce various side effects from cancer and its treatment [4][5][6][7] .…”

“…Recent reviews have summarized data indicating that exercise can improve CRF, sleep disruption, cognitive function, depression, anxiety, self-esteem, cardiopulmonary function, body composition, muscular strength, and fl exibility in cancer survivors during and after treatment [4][5][6][7][28][29][30][31][32][33][34][35][36][37][38][39][40][41][42][43] .…”