'Avoid Inactivity' per New Exercise Guidelines [CANCER]
!['Avoid Inactivity' per New Exercise Guidelines [CANCER]](./i/n/GYM.jpg)
New exercise guidelines for patients with cancer, which aim to make cancer exercise rehabilitation programs as common as those offered to people who have had heart attacks or undergone cardiac surgery, urge fitness professionals to enhance their capacity to serve the unique needs of this population.
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Jun 05, 2010 10:14 AM -
Kathryn Schmitz, PhD, MPH, associate professor of Epidemiology and Biostatistics and a member of the Abramson Cancer Center at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, led an expert panel in developing the guidelines. She says training programs now assist physical therapists in deepening their knowledge of the effects of cancer diagnosis and treatment and improve their skills in this emerging area.
The 13-member American College of Sports Medicine panel developed the new recommendations after reviewing and evaluating literature on the safety and efficacy of exercise training during and after therapy for 5 adult cancers: breast, during and after treatment; prostate; hematologic, with and without stem cell transplant; colon; and gynecologic. The panel says that patients with cancer and cancer survivors should strive to get the same 150 minutes per week of moderate-intensity aerobic exercise that is recommended for the general public. Though the evidence indicates that most types of physical activity are beneficial for patients with cancer, clinicians should tailor exercise recommendations to individual patients, taking into account their general fitness level, specific diagnosis and factors about their disease that might influence exercise safety. Patients with weakened ability to fight infection, for instance, may be advised to avoid exercise in public gyms, the article says.
One persistent area of concern for cancer patients is change in body mass - both weight gain and weight loss tied to disease symptoms and treatment side effects. The new guidelines indicate that both groups can benefit from exercise.
