Why exercise is a must for cancer patients

GETTING active is probably the last thing a cancer patient feels like doing, but doctors should prescribe exercise just as if it were a medicine, according to new medical advice.

CANCER patients should be prescribed exercise just as if it were a medicine, according to new Australian health advice.

The Clinical Oncology Society of Australia, in a new position statement today, says health professionals should discuss exercise with their patients as part of routine treatment, and prescribe it. And they should refer patients to a physiologist or physiotherapist with relevant expertise.

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“The science tells us that patients who take ‘exercise medicine’ have fewer and less severe treatment-related side effects and have less relative risk of their cancer coming back, and (of) dying,” the statement says.

Professor Prue Cormie, who chairs the society’s exercise and cancer care group, said the evidence was overwhelming that exercise was one of the best supplements to cancer treatment.

Shelley Heaney, 43, wanted to make exercise part of her lifestyle after she was diagnosed with breast cancer. Picture: David Caird

Previously, patients would have been advised to rest and recuperate during chemo- and radiotherapy programs, or after surgery.

“Now we know from the research that that’s going to be harmful to the patient, and every person could benefit from ‘exercise medicine’,” Prof Cormie said.

Patients should avoid ­inactivity and work towards doing 150 minutes of ­moderate-intensity aerobic exercise, such as brisk walking, and two to three sessions of ­resistance exercise each week.

“But the exercise program should be tailored to the individual’s capability, treatment side effects and their symptoms,” Prof Cormie said.

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Shelley Heaney, 43, said she was encouraged by her medical team to exercise, but initially had difficulty finding the right approach. She began seeing a personal trainer during her radiation treatment, before taking part in a government-subsidised “ex-med” program with exercise physiologists.

“It was just profound. I went from not being able to see to tomorrow to being able to plan ahead,” she said. “The mental clarity came back and my fatigue lifted.”

The experts were able to give her confidence and advice on the right exercises for her condition and how to tackle treatment side effects, and to give her back a sense of control over her treatment.

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