Researchers state that exercise can significantly improve symptom management, quality of life and fitness during and after the treatment of cancer. This holds true even for patients who are at a higher risk of poor quality of life, whilst suffering from cancer.
Published in Annals of Oncology, the findings from this study will be presented at the ESMO 2018 Congress in Munich. "We have found that patients get the greatest benefit if they exercise two or three times a week for at least an hour during the six months of their chemotherapy or radiotherapy and then for a further six months so that physical activity becomes a part of their life," said Dr. Thierry Bouillet, of American Hospital of Paris and author of one of the new studies.
"Patients are often fatigued and have started to lose muscle before they are diagnosed with cancer, so it is essential to start exercise as soon as possible after the first consultation. We should see it as 'emergency treatment' for their initial symptoms and later to help with the side effects of treatment," said Bouillet.
"Around 60 percent of patients were physically active before and after chemotherapy and, although their quality of life was adversely affected by chemotherapy, they scored consistently better on a variety of physical, emotional and symptom scales than those who were inactive," explained Dr. Antonio Di Meglio, study author and Medical Oncologist, Institut Gustave Roussy, France.
"Using a novel approach, we showed that it is possible to identify breast cancer patients whose quality of life will be worst affected by chemotherapy so we can now target those patients for dedicated interventions including those aimed at increasing physical activity to World Health Organisation (WHO)-recommended levels," added Di Meglio.
