ABSTRACT
Evidence supporting the benefits of exercise following the diagnosis of breast cancer is overwhelming and compelling. Exercise
reduces the severity and number of treatment-related side effects, optimizes quality of life during and following treatment,
and may optimize survival. Yet, exercise does not uniformly form part of the standards of care provided to women following
a breast cancer diagnosis. This commentary summarizes the evidence in support of exercise as a form of adjuvant treatment
and identifies and discusses potential issues preventing the formal integration of exercise into breast cancer care. Proposed
within the commentary is a model of breast cancer care that incorporates exercise prescription as a key component but also
integrates the need for surveillance and management for common breast cancer treatment-related morbidities, as well as education.
While future research evaluating the potential cost savings through implementation of such a model is required, a committed,
collaborative approach by clinicians, allied health professionals, and researchers will be instrumental in bridging the gap
between research and practice.
reduces the severity and number of treatment-related side effects, optimizes quality of life during and following treatment,
and may optimize survival. Yet, exercise does not uniformly form part of the standards of care provided to women following
a breast cancer diagnosis. This commentary summarizes the evidence in support of exercise as a form of adjuvant treatment
and identifies and discusses potential issues preventing the formal integration of exercise into breast cancer care. Proposed
within the commentary is a model of breast cancer care that incorporates exercise prescription as a key component but also
integrates the need for surveillance and management for common breast cancer treatment-related morbidities, as well as education.
While future research evaluating the potential cost savings through implementation of such a model is required, a committed,
collaborative approach by clinicians, allied health professionals, and researchers will be instrumental in bridging the gap
between research and practice.
- Content Type Journal Article
- Pages 1-6
- DOI 10.1007/s13142-011-0082-7
- Authors
- Sandra C. Hayes, School of Public Health, Institute of Health and Biomedical Innovation, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, Australia
- Karin Johansson, Division of Physiotherapy, Lund University, Lund, Sweden
- Catherine M. Alfano, Office of Cancer Survivorship, National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, MD, USA
- Kathryn Schmitz, Division of Clinical Epidemiology, Department of Biostatistics and Epidemiology, University of Pennsylvania, 423 Guardian Drive, 903 Blockley Hall, Philadelphia, PA 19104-6021, USA
- Journal Translational Behavioral Medicine
- Online ISSN 1613-9860
- Print ISSN 1869-6716