WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Moderate but regular exercise can help women avoid some of the side-effects of radiation treatment for breast cancer, U.S. researchers reported on Monday.
Researchers studied 20 women with breast cancer, and found the women who walked briskly 20 to 45 minutes three to five times a week during radiotherapy treatment maintained their levels of healthy blood cells.
Radiation therapy for cancer can cause a range of side effects, from sunburn to fatigue, anemia and depression. Patients often have fewer red blood cells and hemoglobin, which carries oxygen.
Women who did not exercise lost significant oxygen capacity, Jacqueline Drouin of the University of Michigan-Flint and colleagues wrote in the report, published in the journal Cancer.
The study, the first to investigate the effect of exercise during treatment, adds to research that shows regular exercise can prevent breast cancer and can aid in recovery from cancer.
Anemia is one of several side effects that radiation can cause. While small, this study found that exercise helped women avoid anemia. This is another reason for women diagnosed with breast cancer to include moderate exercise as a part of their recovery and care.
Other studies have shown that moderate exercise can help improve recovery and lower the risk of breast cancer coming back (recurrence). But it can be hard to start exercising. Walking three times a week may sound impossible if you're sore from surgery, or exhausted from radiation or chemotherapy. It's hard to force yourself to exercise when you barely have enough energy to get out of bed or off the sofa. If you're being treated for breast cancer, talk to your doctor about how you can make moderate exercise a part of your treatment plan.
To learn how you can incorporate exercise into your life, visit our Healthy Eating and Exercise page.
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