Fighting Cancer with Physical Exercise

I have a guest blog from David Haas of the
Mesothelioma Cancer Alliance. As someone who lost two grandparents to cancer, cancer prevention and treatment has always been a topic near and dear to my heart, and David put together a great piece here.

If you'd like to learn more about David, you can check out his blog below:

http://about.me/haasblaag

Fighting Cancer with Physical Exercise

The impact of physical exercise while preparing for or undergoing cancer treatment, and during remission, has only recently been studied. Whether one has colon cancer, prostate cancer or a more systemic form like mesothelioma, exercise can improve the effectiveness of treatment and the quality of life.

According to the National Cancer Institute, studies have shown that exercise during cancer treatment increased the chance of survival and lessened the risk of the cancer recurring. Researchers are just starting to understand how this happens and more studies are needed to know what levels of exercise of helpful during treatment.

The benefits of exercise during treatment mirror the benefits any other time an exercise program is regularly followed. People experience less fatigue and have better flexibility and mobility. Even small amounts of exercise can result in a measurable benefit.

People on a regular exercise schedule during cancer treatment tend to have a better outlook on their lives. If surgery was required as part of treatment, then exercise can help a person to have a better body image. With more energy and a more positive view of their long-term prospects, the patient diagnosed with cancer appears to benefit more from the treatment.

The limited studies that have been done show that exercise after completing treatment has more of an impact than during the treatment itself. For now, this point to the importance of including a program of physical exercise along with the cancer treatment schedule that extends out into the post-treatment phase.

Another finding is that people are capable of doing much more than clinicians’ thought, even while undergoing intense treatments like chemotherapy and radiation therapy. The idea that the patient should “take it easy” during treatment is being looked at again.

Recently, guidelines have become available for people with a few types of cancer as to the type and frequency of exercise to be done during treatment. Because there was more data on people with breast, prostate, colon, female reproductive and blood cancers, this was where the recommendations are focused.

The long-term goal of organizations researching this is to come up with a general program that can be tailored to the person depending on the type of cancer for which they are being treated. Body image will be one focus of this program, since a positive body image increases a person’s mood and outlook. Exercises that work on various muscle groups that are depleted from the cancer treatment is another goal of a general program. This helps an individual to be more active in their life during treatment.

There are many questions left to be answered about the positive impact of exercise on cancer treatment and remission. However, there is enough evidence to warrant a discussion between the patient and the treatment team to discuss how to incorporate exercise into the treatment plan.