Exercise helps women after breast cancer treatment

An aerobic exercise program improves quality of life for women previously treated for localized breast cancer, according to UK researchers.

Previous studies have shown that exercise improves physical and psychological health for breast cancer survivors, but it has been unclear if the benefit came from the exercise itself or from the increased attention women got from participating in the programs.

To isolate the effects due to exercise from those due to attention, Dr. Amanda J. Daley, from the University of Birmingham, and her associates designed a study that included not only an active exercise group but also a placebo exercise group as well as a usual-care group.
The participants were 108 women who had been treated for breast cancer between 1 and 3 years before, and who were physically inactive.

As described in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, the active exercise program involved one-on-one 50-minute sessions three times a week for 8 weeks. Exercises were moderate intensity, with a goal of boosting heart rate up to 65-85 percent the maximum for each woman's age.

The instructor also discussed cognitive-behavioral techniques for sticking to regular exercise with each participant.

The placebo exercise group also met for 24 sessions, but exercise was limited to light-intensity body conditioning and stretching, and no counseling.

Quality of life was measured with a scale called the Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy - General (FACT-G). The benefits of exercise therapy compared with usual care were reflected by a greater improvement in scores on the FACT-G, averaging 9.8 units.

The magnitude of the change, Daley's team notes, is "far greater than those reported for other types of health-enhancing and quality-of-life interventions (e.g., psychological support in cancer patients)."

Significant improvements were also observed in subscale scores for functional well-being and social/family well-being, and for breast cancer concerns.

"These findings cannot be attributable to attention effects, because the exercise-placebo group did not report significant benefit, compared with usual care," the researchers say.

The results for functional well-being "are particularly promising," they add, "given that physical functioning is considered one of the most important components of quality of life in cancer patients."

They propose that exercise may "expedite the recovery process," but add, "We are mindful that this study only demonstrated short-term gains."

SOURCE: Journal of Clinical Oncology, May 2007.