Effects
of Exercise on Breast Cancer Patients Following Conventional
Cancer Treatment
According to an article recently published in Psychooncology,
patients were less likely to exercise following treatment
for breast cancer and when they did, most did not experience
improvements in mood or cancer-related symptoms. Patients
did report, however, an improvement in physical functioning
with adequate physical activity.
Breast cancer is diagnosed in approximately 200,000 American
women annually. A diagnosis of cancer, and its subsequent
treatment, is often accompanied by high levels of emotional
distress. Previous studies have suggested that exercise appears
to reduce these effects, but the evidence has not been conclusive.
A study was conducted on 69 stage I and II breast cancer
patients who had completed conventional cancer treatments.
They were interviewed at the start of the trial, and followed
for 12 consecutive months. All patients rated their mood,
quality of life, and cancer-related symptoms. Patients also
provided information on how much physical activity they engaged
in daily.
The researchers reported that women did not increase the
amount of time they exercised following cancer treatment and
that the overall amounts of physical activity were below recommended
levels. Women who were young, or had a spouse or partner,
were more likely to exercise, as were women who reported feeling
more depressed. The longer the time since diagnosis of cancer,
and the more social support a patient enjoyed, the more likely
she was to exercise also. The data suggested that women who
did exercise experienced enhanced physical functioning. However,
patients did not report improvement in their overall mood
or a reduction in cancer-related symptoms.
Additional research is needed to more fully explore the relationship
between exercise and the psychological and physical well-being
of cancer patients, particularly among patients who meet or
exceed recommended levels of exercise.
Reference: Pinto BM, Trunzo JJ, Reiss P, et al. Exercise
participation after diagnosis of breast cancer: trends and
effects on mood and quality of life. Psychooncology. 2002;11:389-400.
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