There is evidence that exercise , such as low intensity aerobics walking , Tai Chi , or cycling , results in an overall decrease in fatigue levels over the course of cancer treatment .
Additionally , there is evidence that regular physical activity or exercise can decrease emotional stress , blood pressure , the duration of neutropenia , thrombocytopenia , and pain .
Exercise also has been shown to increase quality of life and improve the maximal oxygen uptake during exertion , sleep patterns , and cognition .
Disease and cancer treatment-related side effects such as decreased energy level , muscle weakness , and declines in functional status and body mass have been well documented .
However , the majority of studies of exercise and cancer have been conducted with women with early stage breast cancer , limiting the generalizability of these studies to other cancer population s. The purpose of this systematic review is to provide a synthesis of the extant research evidence about th e benefits of exercise related to cancer recovery
The group psychotherapy and home-based physical exercise (group-hope) trial in cancer survivors: physical fitness and quality of life outcomes.
Physical exercise has been shown to enhance quality of life ( QOL ) in cancer survivors using pretest-posttest design s and compared to usual care ( i.e. no intervention ) . In the present study , we conducted a r and omized controlled trial to determine if exercise could improve QOL in cancer survivors beyond the known benefits of group psychotherapy ( GP ) . We matched 22 GP classes ( N=108 ) on content and then r and omly assigned 11 ( n=48 ) to GP alone and 11 ( n=60 ) to GP plus home-based , moderate-intensity exercise ( GP+EX ) . Participants completed a physical fitness test and QOL measures ( e.g. Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy scales ) at the beginning and end of GP classes ( about 10 weeks ) . We had excellent recruitment ( 81 % ) , retention ( 89 % ) , and adherence ( 84 % ) rates and a modest contamination ( 22 % ) rate . Using intention-to-treat repeated measures analyses of variance , we found significant Time by Condition interactions for functional well-being , fatigue , and sum of skinfolds . We also found borderline significant interactions for physical well-being , satisfaction with life , and flexibility . All interactions favored the GP+EX condition . We conclude that a home-based , moderate intensity exercise program may im-prove QOL in cancer survivors beyond the benefits of GP , particularly in relation to physical and functional well-being
There is evidence that exercise , such as low intensity aerobics walking , Tai Chi , or cycling , results in an overall decrease in fatigue levels over the course of cancer treatment .
Additionally , there is evidence that regular physical activity or exercise can decrease emotional stress , blood pressure , the duration of neutropenia , thrombocytopenia , and pain .
Exercise also has been shown to increase quality of life and improve the maximal oxygen uptake during exertion , sleep patterns , and cognition .
Disease and cancer treatment-related side effects such as decreased energy level , muscle weakness , and declines in functional status and body mass have been well documented .
However , the majority of studies of exercise and cancer have been conducted with women with early stage breast cancer , limiting the generalizability of these studies to other cancer population s. The purpose of this systematic review is to provide a synthesis of the extant research evidence about th e benefits of exercise related to cancer recovery