I recently met a cancer advocate who stumbled across this blog and wondered if I'd share something he wrote about fitness and cancer. The timing is good - as usual I'm not getting enough exercise and could use a good reminder. Thanks David for the post!
Improving The Odds: Physical Fitness and Cancer
The physical abuses and psychological impact of cancer treatments are difficult enough without worrying about recovery after it is over. Fortunately, recent research, such as has been conducted by the National Cancer Institute, has found that not only can physical fitness programs keep cancer from coming back, but can also accelerate recovery. This is important since, in 2008, it was estimated that almost 12 million people had survived this debilitating disease.
There are many benefits to physical exercise prior to diagnosis, during treatment, and especially during recovery. In women with breast cancer, for example, studies found that exercising 3 to 5 hours per week improved survival rates, reduced fatigue, and decreased the likelihood that cancer would reappear. Additionally, those with cancers that were more resistant to treatment, such as mesothelioma, found that exercise improved their quality of life.
At one time the only thing doctors could tell people was to go home, take it easy, and get some rest. Even when cancer treatments were developed this was still the case. It took additional research to discover that something as basic as physical activity could make all the difference in the world both physically and psychologically.
The benefits of exercise are particularly pronounced in women with tumors that are hormone responsive. Exercises can be done either at home or in a gym with equal success. In fact, it has been determined that there is few things as crippling as inactivity. Despite this fact, guidelines have been developed for those undertaking a physical education program.
Different types of cancer require alternative treatments as well as exercise regimes. For example, women that have undergone breast cancer treatment often have limited mobility in their shoulders. Therefore, exercises need to focus on stabilizing and strengthening surrounding muscles. For many people treatment can make them so sick that they just cannot exercise. However, even a modest amount is beneficial and there is no harm in taking a few days off.
For cancer patients and doctors the ultimate goal is survival. There is a growing body of research that links physical activity with an improved quality of life, increased energy, and more positive attitudes for those that are undergoing treatment. However, the most promising evidence comes from those that have successfully completed treatment programs and are following rigorous daily exercise programs.
I got the results from the last CT scan that I have been waiting on. The news is not good. The existing tumors are growing - all of them - and there are new ones in the abdomen and lymph nodes. My hopes for radio-frequency surgery are dashed, and my second hope that things would not be worse didn't work out. They still have a few treatment possibilities but it's all experimental now and I may not even be a candidate for some of them. What a bummer!
