Researchers wanted to determine whether aerobic exercise or resistance training performed during chemotherapy could help women with breast cancer maintain their physical and emotional health.
What Did Researchers Study?
- 242 women with breast cancer who were beginning adjuvant chemotherapy participated.
- Participants were randomly assigned to one of three groups:
- Aerobic exercise training
- Resistance exercise training
- Usual care (without a structured supervised exercise program)
- Exercise was supervised and continued throughout chemotherapy.
- The median duration of the exercise program was approximately 17 weeks.
- Researchers measured:
- Cancer-related quality of life
- Fatigue
- Self-esteem and emotional well-being
- Cardiovascular fitness
- Muscle strength
- Body composition
- Chemotherapy completion
- Lymphedema and exercise-related adverse events
What Did the Study Find?
Researchers found that women participating in aerobic and resistance exercise during chemotherapy experienced several important physical and emotional benefits.
- Women in the aerobic exercise group improved their cardiovascular fitness.
- Women in the resistance training group gained muscle strength.
- Participants in both exercise groups reported improvements in self-esteem and maintained healthier body composition throughout treatment.
- Women who exercised were better able to complete their planned chemotherapy treatments, an important factor that may contribute to better long-term outcomes.
- Exercise did not increase the risk of lymphedema or other serious exercise-related side effects, demonstrating that appropriately supervised exercise can be safe for many women receiving chemotherapy.
- Although researchers did not find a statistically significant improvement in overall cancer-specific quality of life, the improvements in fitness, strength, self-esteem, and treatment completion suggest that staying active during chemotherapy can help patients maintain their physical health and function throughout treatment.
Why Does This Matter?
Patients going through chemotherapy often worry that exercise will make them feel worse or interfere with their treatment. This study suggests that appropriately supervised aerobic and strength exercise can be safely performed during chemotherapy and may help patients maintain their strength, fitness, confidence, and ability to complete treatment.
Main Takeaways
- Both aerobic exercise and resistance training were safe and feasible during active breast cancer chemotherapy.
- Aerobic exercise helped improve cardiovascular fitness.
- Resistance training helped increase muscle strength.
- Exercise improved self-esteem and helped maintain a healthier body composition.
- Women who exercised were better able to complete their planned chemotherapy treatments.
- Appropriately supervised exercise did not increase the risk of lymphedema or serious side effects.
- Talk with your healthcare team before starting a new exercise program to determine which activities are safe for you.
Source: Courneya KS, Segal RJ, Mackey JR, et al. Effects of Aerobic and Resistance Exercise in Breast Cancer Patients Receiving Adjuvant Chemotherapy: A Multicenter Randomized Controlled Trial.