Structured exercise can improve quality of life and reduce side effects in patients with metastatic breast cancer, according to a new global study led by an Australian Catholic University researcher.
Eva Zopf, from ACU’s Mary MacKillop Institute for Health Research, led the study in Australia in collaboration with Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, Melbourne Health and Cabrini Health.
The study, published in Nature Medicine this week, found supervised exercise during palliative treatment for metastatic breast cancer had significant beneficial effects on patients’ fatigue, quality of life and common side effects such as pain and shortness of breath.
It is the first large-scale study to investigate the effects of exercise in this patient population and builds on a growing body of research showing that exercise can be a valuable companion to cancer treatment.
Dr Zopf said breast cancer treatment has a devastating effect on people’s lives, causing serious health issues that compromise physical and mental wellbeing including fatigue, nausea, pain, and shortness of breath.
She said patients with metastatic disease experience significant symptoms as they often undergo continuous treatment and improving their quality of life is important.
The PREFERABLE-EFFECT trial involved 357 patients with metastatic breast cancer from Australia, the Netherlands, Germany, Spain, Poland, and Sweden.
All study participants received a physical activity tracker and generic exercise advice, but 178 patients were randomly assigned to a supervised exercise program for nine months involving balance, resistance, and aerobic exercises.
The first six months included two one-hour supervised exercise sessions per week. In the last three months, one supervised session was replaced by an unsupervised exercise session which was supported by an exercise app. Patients exercised at moderate to high intensity levels under the supervision of qualified exercise physiologists.
“Patients have told us that they not only felt better and stronger being part of the trial but also that it helped them better understand what they need to be doing in terms of exercise,” Dr Zopf said.
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Less pain and more to gain for patients with metastatic breast cancer who exercise (ACU)
