Supervised Exercise For Cancer Patients May Reduce Fatigue During Chemotherapy
Fatigue is one of the most troublesome side effects of chemotherapy. Now a new study out of Denmark has found cancer patients who engage in supervised exercise during chemotherapy may be able to reduce their fatigue and boost muscle strenth, aerobic capacity and emotional well-being.
The study involved 269 cancer patients aged 20 to 65 years from two hospitals in Copenhagen, Denmark, who has been diagnosed with 21 types of cancer. In addtiion to their standard care, some of the participants in the study took part in an exercise program that included both high- and low-intensity cardiovascular and resistance training, relaxation and body awareness and massage, receiving nine hours of weekly training over a six week period.
Patients in the exercise group reported significantly less fatigue than those who did not receive exercise training. The researchers found that the exercise program proved beneficial for even those patients with advanced cancer.
The researchers noted that while exercise did not improve overall quality of life, the study showed there was a rationale for promoting multimodal exercise interventions to improve physical capacity, vitality, physical and mental well-being and relieving fatigue during chemotherapy which, in turn, supported cancer patients’ daily living activities.
