Introduction to Breast Cancer

Jacqueline Drouin, M.S., and Lucinda Pfalzer, Ph.D.

Exercise is good medicine. According to the Surgeon General's 2006 Report on Physical Activity and Health, exercise performed on a regular basis provides numerous health benefits. Furthermore, the recently published 2008 Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans concluded that regular physical activity reduces the risk of many adverse health outcomes. For most health outcomes, additional benefits occur as the amount of physical activity increases through higher intensity, greater frequency, and/or longer duration. This advice applies to people with a diagnosis of cancer. People with cancer benefit from regular exercise in terms of managing symptoms related to their disease and its treatment.

Movement is joyful. Good athletes listen to their bodies and know when they need activity and when they need rest. If you have not been active, you may not be aware of when your body needs to exercise. You may wish to begin gradually to train your body to exercise and appreciate activity. Feeling "down" or "blue" is not the same as needing rest. Getting out and exercising rejuvenates your body and your spirit. Even people who feel weak or tired report gaining energy from a good bout of physical activity.

Benefits of Exercise

Moderate exercise performed most days of the week improves immune status and reduces risk factors for heart disease, diabetes, high blood pressure, colon cancer, obesity, and osteoporosis. Research on people with breast cancer indicates that moderate-intensity exercise provides these added benefits:

• Relieves nausea and vomiting
• Improves physical function and preserves muscle mass
• Alleviates depression and anxiety
• Diminishes fatigue

Getting Started

Inform your physician about your plan to start or resume an exercise program. Your physician may recommend an exercise evaluation prior to beginning an exercise program. This is not required for all cancer patients that begin exercising, but it should be considered if you have been taking medications that could affect the heart or lungs such as Adriamycin and Blenoxane.

Modes of Exercise

Choose an activity you enjoy and can perform safely. The major trick to sticking with an exercise program is to do something that you look forward to such as walking with a friend, bicycling on a peaceful trail or dancing in a fun aerobics class. Find an activity that is good for your body and your mind. Include gentle stretching activities, especially to your arms and neck, before and after your workout. Once you build a base of training, after about six weeks, you may wish to gradually add weight training.

Duration and Frequency

To get the most from your exercise in terms of health benefits, you should aim to exercise 20 to 45 minutes most days of the week. Begin your exercise with a 5- to 10-minute warm-up and include a cool-down after your workout. If you are not accustomed to exercise, it is okay to start out with exercise sessions that last for 5 or 10 minutes, and then gradually increase your exercise time. If you miss a few days, don't get discouraged - get back out there and play!

Intensity

An example of moderate-intensity aerobic exercise is brisk walking. You should not feel out of breath, and should be able to carry on a conversation while you exercise. On a rating scale of 6 to 20, with 6 being very, very light and 20 being very, very hard, you might describe your exercise as being fairly light at 11 to somewhat hard at 13. Your exercise should not be hard unless you are accustomed to activity.

Precautions

Exercise during and after cancer treatment has been found to be safe, but all athletes need to listen to their bodies. The information in this factsheet is merely a guideline to get you started with healthy exercise. If you are used to exercising, then you may be able to push yourself a little more. However, if you are just beginning to exercise, or haven't exercised for several months, you may need to begin at a lower intensity or exercise for a shorter time. If you are merely fatigued, get up and walk - it will do you good. If you are bone-tired, then listen to your body and get some rest.

Although it is safe to exercise through the weeks of cancer treatment, you should avoid exercise on the day you receive chemotherapy, or within two hours of receiving radiation treatment. You may also wish to avoid exercise following severe vomiting or diarrhea, as you will be dehydrated. Drink lots of fluids to replenish the water you lost.

Exercise has been found to be safe for people with cancer or undergoing treatment for cancer. However, consult your physician if you develop any unusual symptoms such as:

• Fever
• Extreme or unusual tiredness or unusual muscular weakness
• Irregular hear beat, palpitations or chest pain
• Leg pain or cramps, unusual joint pain, unusual bruising or nosebleeds
• Sudden onset of nausea during exercise
• Rapid weight loss, severe diarrhea or vomiting
• Disorientation, confusion, dizziness, light-headedness, blurred vision, or fainting
• Pallor or gray-colored appearance
• Night pain, or pain not associated with an injury

About the Authors

Jacqueline Drouin has a B.S. in physical therapy, an M.S. in exercise science, and is completing her doctoral dissertation on aerobic exercise, immune status and oxidative stress in subjects undergoing radiation treatment for breast cancer. Lucinda Pfalzer has a B.S. in physical therapy, a PhD in exercise physiology and is a fellow in the American College of Sports Medicine. Her research interests include exercise in cancer, and chronic disease and disability.

Note

The information provided here is offered as a service only. The National Center on Physical Activity and Disability, University of Illinois at Chicago, the National Center on Accessibility, and the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago do not formally recommend or endorse the equipment listed. As with any products or services, consumers should investigate and determine on their own which equipment best fits their needs and budget.

National Center on Physical Activity and Disability
http://www.ncpad.org
ncpad@uic.edu
(800) 900-8086 (voice and TTY)
(312) 355-4058 (facsimile)

Books

1. Ed. Jay R Harris (Eds.). (2000). Diseases of the Breast: Rehabilitation Management: Restoring Fitness and Return to Functional Activity. Philadelphia, PA: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins.

Journals

1. Pinto BM, Maruyama NC. (1999). Exercise in the rehabilitation of breast cancer survivors. Psychooncology, 8(3), 191-206.
2. Winningham, M.L, M.G. MacVicar and C.A. Burke. (1986). Exercise Guidelines for Cancer Patients: Guidelines and Precautions. The Physician and Sports Medicine(14.10), 125-134.
3. Chlebowski, R.T. (2000). Reducing the Risk of Breast Cancer. New England Journal of Medicine, 343(3), 191-198.

Reports

1. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. (1996). Physical Activity and Health. A Report of the Surgeon General.

This fact sheet was last updated on 03-11-2009.

Add a Fact Sheet Section

Update this Fact Sheet
(edit sheet name, edit organizations, etc.)