There are multiple benefits to exercise, it can help you control your weight, reduce the risk of heart disease, help co-ordination, and improve mental health and mood. Research is now suggesting that exercise could help cancer patients by reducing the side effects of treatment and improving physical function and quality of life.
A randomised trial
70 patients with non-small cell lung cancer were enrolled in the randomised controlled trial. All the patients received standard oncology treatments which included chemotherapy, checkpoint inhibitors, a combination of the two or oncological surveillance.
The arm the patients received the treatment in received a high-intensity exercise intervention comprising of supervised and group-based exercise training. There was intermediate to high-intensity interval training and patients attended three exercises sessions a week for a period of six weeks.
What was tested?
Measurements were taken before, during and after the six-week programme and blood samples and biopsies were also tested. The main thing the researchers were looking for was an immune response against the cancer cells. Secondary to this, they were looking at activity levels, quality of life and clinical outcomes.
The results
It was found that exercise is beneficial to cancer patients. Dr Gitte Holmen Olofsson of Denmark’s National Center for Cancer Therapy said; “The increasing role of exercise training in cancer care is built on evidence that exercise can reduce side effects of treatment, improve physical functioning and quality of life.”
Larger trials are needed to further understand the efficacy of exercise therapy but the results of this study are certainly encouraging.
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Source:
Holmen Olofsson, G., Mikkelsen, M.K., Ragle, AM. et al. High Intensity Aerobic exercise training and Immune cell Mobilization in patients with lung cancer (HI AIM)—a randomized controlled trial. BMC Cancer 22, 246 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12885-022-09349-y