Was it exercise, the group experience, or both of them together that helped women feel better while having treatment for early breast cancer? According to the study reviewed here, it was probably BOTH.
The benefits of the group exercise classes were physical: better range of motion and less fatigue. And the benefits were also psychological: less depression and a more positive outlook on life. Exercising alone could probably offer the same benefits for any woman undergoing breast cancer treatment (providing she can safely exercise).
In this study, the exercise was moderately intense, three to five days per week. This might seem like a lot, even if you're healthy. When you're getting treatment for breast cancer, side effects may make it even harder to start and stick with any exercise routine. Being in a group class and having an exercise specialist to motivate and support them probably helped the women in this study stick with exercising. It's great to know that the women were still getting the benefits of the exercise class six months after the program started.
If you're getting breast cancer treatment, try to make exercise (and a healthy diet) part of your daily routine. Think of exercise and a healthy diet as another important part of your treatment plan that helps you recover and stay healthy. Talk to your doctor about how much and how often you should exercise. Ask around and see if any breast cancer support groups near you have organized exercise classes. If you can't find an exercise class through a breast cancer support group, think about joining another exercise class. There's a good chance the class might be able to give you the motivation and support to make regular exercise part of your treatment and recovery. Find the right exercise routine for YOU and then do your best to stick with it! It can make a difference both physically and mentally, today and tomorrow.
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Participating in regular group exercise classes can help women with early breast cancer feel better, both physically and mentally, while they're undergoing treatment, according to a study in the British Medical Journal.
"Women being treated for early stage breast cancer should try to accumulate 30 minutes of moderate intensity physical activity 3 to 5 days a week," Dr. Anna Campbell, who led the study, told Reuters Health.
Campbell, at Strathclyde University in Glasgow, Scotland, and her colleagues recruited 203 women undergoing chemo or radiation therapy for breast cancer for the study. The participants, who were free of heart or breathing problems and did not exercise regularly, were randomly assigned to usual care plus a 12-week supervised group exercise program or usual care alone.
The women in the exercise group were encouraged to attend two 45-minute classes led by a trained exercise specialist each week and perform similar exercises on their own once per week at home.
After 12 weeks, women in the exercise group enjoyed improved physical functioning and psychological well being, the authors report. For example, compared to the usual-care group, the exercisers were able to walk greater distances, had greater shoulder mobility, and had a more positive outlook.
There was also a trend toward reduced fatigue and depression in the exercisers and the perception that their overall quality of life had improved.
Six months after the start of the program, 177 of the women completed an evaluation. "At the six months follow-up most of these positive effects were still maintained," Campbell said, and the women in the exercise group also reported fewer nights in hospital and fewer visits to their doctor than those in the comparison group.
"The benefits of the exercise classes are probably caused by a combination of the exercise and the group experience," Campbell said. Importantly, there were no ill effects of exercise in the women.
Doctors "should encourage physical activity for patients with cancer to help combat some treatment-related side effects," Campbell concluded, and "policy makers should consider including opportunities for exercise as part of a cancer-care package, similar to the exercise component in cardiac rehabilitation."
SOURCE: BMJ Online First, February 16, 2007.
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