Systemic use of exercise prescriptions not only lowers the risk of certain cancers but also helps to improve side effects and survival from cancer and should therefore be incorporated into cancer treatment plans, experts from the American College of Sports Medicine and 17 partner organizations said in articles published in Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise and CA: A Cancer Journal for Clinicians.
The expert panel had reviewed the latest scientific evidence and arrived at the following recommendations about the benefits of exercise for prevention, treatment, recovery, and survival.
Exercise is important for all adults for cancer prevention and specifically lowers risk of colon, breast, endometrial, kidney, bladder, esophagus, and stomach cancers.
Cancer survivors should incorporate exercise to help improve survival after a breast, colon, or prostate cancer diagnosis.
Exercising during and after cancer treatment improves fatigue, anxiety, depression, physical functioning, and quality of life and does not exacerbate lymphedema.
They also recommended that oncology scientists continue research that will drive the integration of exercise into the standard of care for cancer.
ONS’s Get Up, Get Moving resources can help oncology nurses discuss and recommend appropriate exercise for their patients. Learn more at ONS.org.