While patients were previously told to rest during cancer treatment, the overwhelming body of evidence now shows that physical activity is safe and beneficial throughout cancer treatment and beyond. Many patients with cancer avoid physical activity as they’re unsure of what is safe for them to do. But the World Health Organization recommends that adult cancer patients should aim to complete 150 minutes of moderate intensity physical activity each week that raises the heart rate. It also recommends that patients aim to do muscle strengthening exercises (such as weightlifting or yoga) at least twice a week.
Physical activity during and after treatment can:
1. Support mental health
A cancer diagnosis can be extremely emotional, and patients may feel uncertainty and fear regarding their diagnosis and treatment, leading to increased feelings of anxiety and depression, alongside reduced quality of life.
But many studies have shown that physical activity during and after cancer treatment can help manage these mental health struggles, alongside improving patients’ self-esteem and overall mood.
Moderate-intensity aerobic exercise (such as brisk walking) two to three times a week, combined with muscle strengthening exercise (such as Pilates or weightlifting), has been shown to significantly reduce anxiety and depression in people suffering with many different types of cancer, including breast, prostate, colorectal, gynaecological and lung cancer.
2. Reduce feelings of fatigue
Fatigue is one of the most frequently reported side effects associated with cancer and its treatment. It can impact a cancer patient’s daily life and their physical, emotional and mental wellbeing.
Research shows that regular physical activity can help reduce feelings of fatigue. Evidence suggests that moderate to vigorous-intensity activity which combines both aerobic and muscle strengthening activities two to three times a week is beneficial for reducing fatigue in those diagnosed with breast and prostate cancer.
3. Help patients to cope with treatment
Many studies have shown that patients with cancer who are able to tolerate their prescribed dose of chemotherapy have better outcomes. However, the dose of chemotherapy patients receive is often reduced due to a range of treatment-related side-effects and complications they experience.
Encouragingly, emerging evidence suggests that breast cancer patients who completed muscle-strengthening or a combination of both aerobic and muscle-strengthening activities during treatment were less likely to need reductions to their prescribed dose of chemotherapy.
4. Prevent hospitalization
Treatment for cancer, including surgery and chemotherapy, can lead to complications for some people, which may require hospitalization, but research suggests that for patients with breast cancer, physical activity can lower the risk of hospitalization.
Researchers found that patients who completed a combination of strength and interval training during treatment had a 3% lower incidence of hospitalization compared to those who were physically inactive.
5. Reduce risk of cancer returning and improve survival
A systematic review of physical activity among those with cancer found that higher physical activity levels were associated with a reduced risk of cancer returning, and improved survival by up to 50%.
Further guidance on being active following cancer can be found here. Further information outlining the benefits of physical activity during and after treatment for cancer can be viewed in this short film and via this podcast.
Author
Senior Research Fellow in Behavioural Medicine, NIHR Advanced Fellow
This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.