Exercise and Breast Cancer
“The strength of the evidence is such that every woman diagnosed with breast cancer should be prescribed an exercise program.” Proven to deliver broad improvements in quality of life, Dr Prue Cormie, a Senior Research Fellow and Accredited Exercise Physiologist, believes, without question, that doctors and exercise professionals should work together to engage women with breast cancer in regular exercise.
Along with the general improvements to muscle quality and strength, fitness and physical function, exercise offers specific benefits to women with breast cancer in that it can help to:
- Counteract cancer related fatigue and nausea and possible toxicity related side effects.
- Improve range of motion and function after surgery.
- Reduce the risk of developing or exacerbating existing lymphoedema.
- Help prevent weight gain that is common with hormone therapy, which translates to improved body image and self-esteem.
- Manage the psychological distress associated with cancer treatments such as depression and anxiety.
While not yet definitive, observational, early research does show that exercise is associated with both survival benefits and recurrence benefits in women with breast cancer. Early research has also shown that women involved in exercise, particularly resistance exercise, were able to better tolerate their chemotherapy treatment. “That’s a really important finding in terms of a person’s ability to tolerate their treatment and the potential to receive more of that treatment, which hopefully means it will have a better impact on slowing the spread and growth of that cancer,” says Cormie.
Exercise is beneficial for individuals at every stage of their treatment, with early research suggesting that women who begin exercising after a diagnosis may even have a better response than women who were exercising before. A senior lecturer in the School of Physical Education, Sport and Exercise Sciences at the University of Otago, Lynnette Jones says, “Often being the one element of treatment that women can actually control, at the end of extended treatment there is often a feeling of ‘now what?’. “Exercise may be the best ‘thing’ that they can be getting on with,” she says.
What’s recommended
In the Exercise and Sports Science Association’s position stand, Optimising Cancer Outcomes Through Exercise, the general exercise prescription for people undertaking or having completed cancer treatment is to participate in low to moderate-intensity exercise 3-5 times per week. Sessions should last for a minimum of 20 minutes and incorporate a mix of aerobic and resistance exercises.
Read the full article in the eJournal, POWERED by Fitness Australia at ejournal.fitness.org.au
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