Exercise during Chemotherapy- positive outcomes

Exercise During Chemotherapy

Possible Positive Outcomes

Authors of a new study on the effects of exercise on women undergoing chemotherapy for breast cancer have found positive effects of exercise on disease-free survival (DFS) rates.

Among the 242 breast cancer patients, the 8-year DFS rate was 82.7% in the exercise group, and 75.6% among the control group. The exercise group began 1-2 weeks after starting chemotherapy. While the sample size was small, the outcomes “appear to be meaningful.”

The authors cited 3 possible reasons for the positive effects:

1. Exercise may improve the rate of chemotherapy completion.

2. Exercise assists in “drug distribution” through changes to metabolism

3. Exercise “provides an additive benefit beyond current chemotherapy drugs mediated by mechanisms unrelated to interaction effects.”

The conclusion is that exercise may help improve outcomes with chemotherapy. If you’re not sure how to begin exercising, talk to you doctor.

Source: PT In Motion, June 2014