Cancer patients exerciseBenefits of exercise for cancer patientsExercise advice for patients of cancerFor cancer patients exercise greatly improves quality of life & even survival according to many studies.
Our umbrella page on cancer & exercise Uterine, ovarian, endometrial & lung cancer and exercise Benefits of exercise, cautions & advice on exercising after cancer diagnosis follows below. There is less research on the effects of exercise after cancer diagnosis than the preventive effects of exercise on cancer. Historically, cancer patients & exercise was a non-issue as patients were generally discouraged to exercise. Not anymore. There are so many positive effects of exercise, even during & post cancer treatment, that generally, exercise enhances the life & possibly the prognosis of cancer patients. Some of the most important benefits of exercise for cancer patients include improving mood, stimulating appetite & helping to hold on to muscle tissue. The research on exercising during cancer treatment emphasizes exercise’s role on breast, colorectal & multiple cancer diagnoses. Breast cancer patients exerciseStudies found exercise to significantly improve energy level, strength, quality of life.The long term Nurses’ Health Study pointed to an ultimate benefit of exercising after diagnosis of breast cancer. It found the most active women to reduce risk of death by 50%. Colorectal cancer patients exerciseWell designed observational studies on exercising improves quality of life, a somewhat vague term that includes physical & psychological dimensions.Exercising also improved the chances of living cancer recurrence free & disease free. Mixed cancer diagnosis & exerciseStudies are not as positive for exercise after multiple diagnosis. However, studies show exercise did improve strength & fitness if not much else.It is far more difficult to study patients with multiple diagnoses because the sample group is fairly small & there would seem to be many factors that would be difficult to account for. That might be why studies don’t seem to suggest what we might expect given findings in other studies. While exercising after a cancer diagnosis seems helpful it should be done in consultation with a physician. A couple of cautions on exercise & cancer:
Best exercise strategy post diagnosis
The best advice for post cancer diagnosis would be to engage in moderate exercise. Exercise on most days for between 20 - 50 minutes. Include strength training, flexibility exercises & holistic programs such as Pilates or yoga to round out your exercise program. Remember that the value of exercise on cancer does not increase because exercise becomes strenuous. In fact, as suggested above, over-exercising may actually increase stress & depress immunity putting you at greater risk for cancer. Don’t burn yourself out! See our pages on specific topics regarding exercise especially strength, flexibility, aerobics, Pilates & yoga by going to the navigation bar on page left.
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