Most doctors and nurses agree exercise is beneficial but don’t routinely prescribe exercise as part of their patients’ cancer treatment plan.
(Photo courtesy of the Exercise Oncology Team at Australian Catholic University)
Everyfour minutes, someone in Australia is diagnosed with cancer. Only 1 in 10 of those diagnosed will exercise enough during and after their treatment. But every one of those patientswould benefit from exercise.
Published in theMedical Journal of Australia, our plan is to incorporate exercise alongside surgery, chemotherapy, and radiotherapy to help counteract the negative effects of cancer and its treatment.
What Are We Calling For?
Historically, the advice to cancer patients was to rest and to avoid activity. We now know this advice may be harmful to patients, and every person with cancer would benefit from exercise.
Most doctors and nurses agree exercise is beneficial, but don’t routinely prescribe exercise as part of their patients’ cancer treatment plan.
It is our position that all health professionals involved in the care of cancer patients should view and discuss exercise as a standard part of the cancer treatment plan; recommend that cancer patients adhere to exercise guidelines; and refer them to an exercise physiologist or physiotherapist with experience in cancer care.
Why Prescribe Exercise?
Cancer patients who exercise regularly experience fewer, and less severe, side effects from treatments. They also have a lower relative risk ofcancer recurrence and a lower relative risk ofdying from cancer.
If the effects of exercise could be encapsulated in a pill, it would be prescribed to every cancer patient worldwide and viewed as a major breakthrough in cancer treatment. If exercise were a pill, it would be demanded by cancer patients and prescribed by every cancer specialist.
Cancer and its treatment can have a devastating effect on people’s lives, causing serious health issues that compromise people’s physical and mental well-being.Here’s why exercise is a new contender in the fight against cancer. (TEDxPerth)Research shows that exercise can help cancer patients tolerate aggressivetreatments, minimize thephysical declines caused by cancer, counteractcancer-related fatigue, relievemental distress, and improvequality of life.
When appropriately prescribed and monitored, exercise issafe for people with cancer and the risk of complications is relatively low.
Implementing exercise medicine as part of routine cancer care has the potential to not only change people’s lives but also save money. People with cancer who exercise havelower medical expenses and spendless time away from work.
What Exactly Should Be Prescribed?
Exercise specialists can prescribe exercise in a similar way to how doctors prescribe medications—by knowing how cancer impacts our health and understanding how certain exercises improve the structure and function of the body’s systems.
These individualized programs involve specific types of exercises, performed at precise intensities and volumes, based on a mechanism of action and dosage needed to counteract the negative effects of cancer.
Theevidence-based guidelines recommend that people with cancer be as physically active as their current ability and conditions allow. For significant health benefits, they should aim to complete the following:
at least 150 minutes of moderate intensity aerobic exercise weekly (such as walking, jogging, cycling, swimming), and
two to three resistance exercise sessions each week, involving moderate to vigorous intensity exercises and targeting the major muscle groups (such as weightlifting).
These recommendations should be tailored to the individual’s abilities, to minimize the risk of complications and maximize the benefits.Exercise is safe for people with cancer and can be tailored for the individual. (Exercise Oncology Team at Australian Catholic University)
How Will Patients Fill the Prescription?
Getting this much exercise may seem out of reach for many people with cancer. But exercise specialists who have experience in cancer care can help. They’ll design an individual program based on the patient’s disease, how he or she has responded to treatment, and the anticipated trajectory of his or her health status.
Online directories can help patients findaccredited exercise physiologists andphysiotherapists practicing nearby. These services are eligible for subsidies through Medicare and private health insurance.
Or patients can opt for structuredcancer-specific exercise medicine programs, such as EX-MED Cancer, which I lead. Such programs are designed to maximize the safety and effectiveness of exercise medicine for cancer patients.
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