Exercise may contribute to improved breast cancer survival

When breast cancer patients undergo intense treatment, their heart and lung capacity is compromised, yet little is known about how safe exercise is for breast cancer survivors--until now, thanks to a groundbreaking University of Alberta study. Dr. Kerry Courneya from the Faculty of Physical Education and Recreation, is trying to change a long-standing belief that cancer patients experiencing fatigue after chemotherapy and radiation treatment should rest, sleep and remain inactive.

His new study has proven that not only is it safe but it is beneficial and may improve chances for long-term survival. On average, 407 Canadian women will be diagnosed with breast cancer every week and 102 Canadian women will die of breast cancer every week.

"We increased fitness levels and as we point out, fitness is associated with decreased mortality--people with exercise capacity are expected to live longer," said Courneya. "But we also proved that exercise improves quality of life and increased quality of life improves survival. When you put these factors together, it is very encouraging."

Intense and prolonged treatments required for breast cancer often compromise survivors' cardiopulmonary capacity. That reduction in the ability to breathe may lead to reductions in quality of life or worse, to premature death. Little was known about the impact of exercise training on cardiopulmonary function and quality of life in breast cancer survivors until now and these findings are an important start.

Courneya and his research team randomly assigned survivors to different strains of treatment: an exercise group or a control group. Their findings are published in the current issue of Journal of Clinical Oncology. Few studies have run such controlled clinical trials as this one.

Aside from improved cardiopulomary benefits and quality of life, the researchers found that exercise training had a beneficial effect on happiness--19 additional hours of happiness per week compared to those not exercising. No previous study in cancer survivors has examined the effects of exercise training on happiness.

"Happiness was a great outcome," said Courneya. "It was a novel outcome and is a psychological issue that sums up an overall sense of well-being. Many people would argue that a good sense of well-being will positively affect the chances of survival."

The findings will go a long way to address concerns identified by patients and families who want to improve their health as well as providing additional data for doctors looking for evidence of exercise benefits. A separate study has recently reported that the change in exercise capacity--such as this trial demonstrated--was associated with a 12 per cent improvement in survival.

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