Cancer survivors urged to exercise

Exercise is a “wonder drug” for cancer survivors and may even prevent the disease coming back, according to a report.

Macmillan Cancer Support said physical activity should be “prescribed” by doctors after “hard evidence” showed it can significantly help recovery and prevent other long-term illnesses.

Rather than patients being told to “rest up” as in the past, doctors must encourage people to get moving as soon as they feel able.

A review of more than 60 studies for the charity found people undergoing treatment for cancer – as well as survivors – could benefit from exercise.

During treatment, being active does not worsen people’s fatigue and has positive effects on mood and wellbeing, the study said.

Once treatment has finished, exercise can reduce the impact of side effects, such as swelling around the arm, anxiety, depression, fatigue, impaired mobility and changes to weight.

“Long term, it is an effective way to help recover physical function, manage fatigue, improve quality of life and mental health, and control body weight,” the report said.

The research also showed exercise had an impact on preventing recurrence of a few specific cancers.

Women with breast cancer who exercise for 150 minutes a week at moderate intensity have more than a 40 per cent lower risk of dying and recurrence of disease compared to women who are active for less than one hour a week.

Results of two studies on bowel cancer also show the risk of dying or the disease coming back is cut by about 50 per cent in patients taking six hours a week of moderate intensity exercise.

Furthermore, prostate cancer patients have around a 30 per cent lower risk of dying from the disease and a 57 per cent lower rate of disease progression if they do three hours of moderate intensity exercise a week.

The authors behind the study said the Department of Health’s guideline of 150 minutes of moderate activity a week is appropriate for most cancer survivors if built up gradually.

Moderate exercise includes very brisk walking, heavy cleaning such as washing windows, vacuuming and mopping; mowing the lawn, cycling and badminton.

Macmillan estimates around 1.6 million of the two million cancer survivors in the UK are not physically active for 150 minutes a week.

Its survey of more than 400 health professionals also found most GPs and oncology nurses were unaware of the current guidelines on exercise – just 41 per cent and 42 per cent answered correctly.

Over half (56 per cent) of GPs, practice nurses, oncologists and cancer nurses also did not speak to their patients about the possible benefits of exercise, or only spoke to a few of them.

Ciaran Devane, chief executive officer of Macmillan Cancer Support, said: “The evidence in our report, Move More, shows just how important physical activity is to the recovery process of cancer.

“Yet very little attention to its benefits is given by health professionals or by those commissioning health services.