Exercise = medicine in breast cancer rehab
Physical training is important and well-known in cancer treatment; both in symptom reduction but as now emerges, most importantly in improving overal survival rates.
Australian researchers performed additional analyses on data of 337 women (rural and urban) that participated in an 8-month exercise intervention after breast cancer surgery about 10 years ago.
207 that followed an intensive programme (face-to-face intervention or by telephone) at the time were compared to 130 women that received usual care (advise). Randomised groups consisted of urban and rural dwelling women.
In the intensive exercise group there were 11 (5.3%) deaths compared with 15 (11.5%) deaths in the usual care group; a risk reduction of 50%. Disease free survival was 25 (12,1%) and 23 (17.7%), respectively, a 30% improvement favourable to exercise again.
Effects were stronger for younger women (
These results are important and point towards the protective effect of exercise on survival. Exercise = medicine and these results should lead to better access, compensation and organisation of cancer rehab and secondary prevention.
> From: Hayes et al., Breast Cancer Res Treat (2018-02-17 07:51:09) (Epub ahead of print). All rights reserved to Springer Science+Business Media. Click here for the online summary.
