Prof.Celena Scheede-Bergdahl Comments on Exercise Benefits for Cancer Patients
Engaging in structured physical activity among cancer patients is associated with improved survival and reduced recurrence risk, going well beyond supportive care and symptom management, according to a new meta-analysis from Taiwan.
These findings are part of a “paradigm shift” that has taken place over the past 15 years, commented Professor Celena Scheede-Bergdahl of McGill University's Department of Kinesiology and Physical Education.
“We are increasingly recognizing that people really need to move and that they need to prepare themselves for surgery, treatment or rehabilitation,” she said. “If people become inactive and lose their physical fitness, they enter a vicious cycle and ultimately experience more health problems than they would have if, for example, they had exercised.”
As a result, more and more physicians and hospital communications are encouraging exercise and physical activity among cancer patients, she added.
The meta-analysis found that structured physical activity could reduce the risk of death from any cause by 23% among cancer survivors.
