During chemotherapy, physical exercise intervention is safe, improves cardiorespiratory fitness in the long term and alleviates some of the adverse effects of cancer treatment, according to a study published in the journal ‘JACC: CardioOncology’.
If exercise is not feasible during chemotherapy, the individual can participate in an exercise program followingward to regain the same level of function, the researchers add.
The cardiorespiratory fitness, measured by maximal oxygen consumption (VO2peak), is considered one of the most significant independent predictors of cardiovascular health. During cancer treatment, VO2peak decreases by up to 25%.
Cancer treatment often causes adverse effects that impair a patient’s health-related quality of life (HRQoL), including reduced cardiorespiratory fitness, increased fatigue, and cardiovascular morbidity.
Physical activity mitigates risks
It is shown that the physical activity mitigates these risks. Exercise therapy is associated with increased cardiorespiratory fitness, improved VO2peak, and decreased cardiovascular morbidity, cancer mortality, and overall mortality.
“The benefit of exercise for cancer patients is widely recognized. However, there is insufficient evidence on the optimal timing of exercise intervention to improve long-term cardiorespiratory fitness in cancer patients,” explains Annemiek ME Walenkamp, lead author of the study and a medical oncologist at the Department of Medical Oncology at University Medical Center Groningen (Netherlands).
In the ACT trial, investigators examined the efficacy of exercise intervention during chemotherapy compared with that performed following treatment in improving long-term cardiorespiratory fitness.
Study design
Adult patients newly diagnosed with breast cancer, colon cancer, testicular cancer, or B-cell non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma who were scheduled to receive curative chemotherapy were eligible for the study.
The primary endpoint was the difference in VO2peak one year following the intervention. Secondary endpoints were VO2peak following completion of chemotherapy and intervention, muscle strength, HRQoL, fatigue, physical activity, and self-efficacy at all time points.
The researchers found that, directly following chemotherapy, the group that started exercise therapy during treatment reported less fatigue and more physical activity, and less decreased VO2peak, HRQoL, and muscle strength.
“The results suggest that the The best time to exercise is during chemotherapy.a. However, starting an exercise program following chemotherapy is a viable alternative when exercise is not possible during chemotherapy, Walenkamp says. We hope that our findings will motivate health care providers to guide patients to exercise interventions during cancer treatment.”
