The Effects of Exercise on Cancer Patients

 

The cancer treatments that are supposed to kill cancer cells come with toxic side effects, what if this can be avoided with the application of exercise? 

                                                                      

                                                       Introduction

    Cancer comes with the burden of anti cancer treatment modalities like chemotherapy, immunotherapy, radiotherapy, etc. Which is why it is important to find a way to avoid these toxic traditional cancer therapies and find out what can be done with simple exercise training, specifically resistance training which has been seen to be effective for cancer patients due to it allowing regulation of muscular de-/regeneration processes. Regular exercise in general has been shown to decrease the risk of cancer and can control tumor growth.

                                                   

                Is It Safe to be Exercising while Receiving Treatment?                     

 It has been thought that patients with cancer who are receiving traditional patients should have more rest to relieve the fatigue that follows these treatments, but physical exercise during chemotherapy can significantly alleviate cancer related fatigue and prevent lymphedema, which balances the damage caused by nerve agents.

                                                

In the United States alone, the lifetime risk of developing cancer is 40% in men and 38% in                             women making it the second leading cause of mortality in the world.                

                                                       Where to Start

 Being physically active is one of the most important steps people of all ages and abilities can take for cancer prevention, treatment and control.  The current physical activity guidelines recommend 150-300 minutes per week of moderate exercise or 75-150 minutes per week for vigorous intensity exercise. Moderate to vigorous intensity physical activity is associated with reducing many types of cancer and light intensity activity has a more limited effect. Meta analysis concluded that there is an association between increased sedentary time and risk for endometrial, colon, and lung cancers. Research examining pre diagnosis and post diagnosis physical activity and mortality has grown rapidly. With the conclusion that post diagnosis physical activity has the greatest effects on mortality outcomes. 

                                                

                                                                   

                                                                The Effects

    Exercise training consists of repetitive exercises that challenge whole body homeostasis and is targeted to improve almost every outcome in cancer patients especially cardiopulmonary fitness, physical function, body composition and patient reported outcomes. In a study they tested the adaptive responses to endurance and resistance training in cancer patients while focusing on whole body, muscle and systematic adaptations. (Hojman) The symptom and function status of the patients quality of life caused an increasing effect. As well as an improvement in life satisfaction. While performing this study they observed the other side effects of exercise on people with cancer. It became clear that exercise disrupts the cycle of chronic inflammation and indirectly improves cardiovascular risk factors by decreasing the amount of visceral fat on the body. However, these interventions need to last longer than the usual 12-16 weeks of training in order to be successful which takes commitment. With more research they hope to be able to prescribe patients an optimal dose, intensity and mode of exercise training in the future.

                         Resources                                   

•   https://www.cancercouncil.com.au/cancer-information/living-well/exercise-cancer

•    https://www.cancer.org/treatment/survivorship-during-and-after-treatment/be-healthy-after- treatment/physical-activity-and-the-cancer-patient.html

                                                                   About the Author 

            Alexis Mason is a senior at Westfield State University, and is a Movement                             Science major with a concentration in Sports Medicine. After graduating, her plan                         is to attend graduate school in order to pursue a career in physical therapy.                                                   Alexis can be reached at masonalexis@gmail.com.        

                                                           

                                                

                                                                         References

• Hojman, P., Gehl, J., Christensen, J. F., & Pederse Idorn, M., & Thor Straten, P. (2017). Exercise and cancer: from "healthy" to "therapeutic"?. Cancer immunology, immunotherapy : CII, 66(5), 667–671. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00262-017-1985-zn, B. K. (2018).

• Molecular Mechanisms Linking Exercise to Cancer Prevention and Treatment. Cell metabolism, 27(1), 10–21. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cmet.2017.09.015

• Wang, Q., & Zhou, W. (2021). Roles and molecular mechanisms of physical exercise in cancer prevention and treatment. Journal of sport and health science, 10(2), 201–210.https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jshs.2020.07.008

• Patel, A. V., Friedenreich, C. M., Moore, S. C., Hayes, S. C., Silver, J. K., Campbell, K. L., Winters-Stone, K., Gerber, L. H., George, S. M., Fulton, J. E., Denlinger, C., Morris, G. S., Hue, T., Schmitz, K. H., & Matthews, C. E. (2019). American College of Sports Medicine Roundtable Report on Physical Activity, Sedentary Behavior, and Cancer Prevention and Control. Medicine and science in sports and exercise, 51(11), 2391–2402. https://doi.org/10.1249/MSS.0000000000002117