A Reason to Get Fit: Exercise and Breast Cancer
Heather crossing the finish line in the 2018 Komen Race for the Cure.
Getting regular exercise is important for breast cancer survivors’ continued health. Physical activity can help lessen certain side effects of treatment, such as fatigue and depression, and has been shown to reduce risk of recurrence and improve survival.
The American Society for Cancer, as well as the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), recommends that cancer survivors get 150 minutes of moderate or 75 minutes of vigorous intensity physical activity, along with at least 2 strength training sessions, each week.
I found myself deconditioned after going through surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation, and found it very hard to find the energy and motivation to be physically active again.
Photo by Jacob Postuma on Unsplash
I found myself deconditioned after going through surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation, and found it very hard to find the energy and motivation to be physically active again. But the evidence is clear about the benefits of exercise in breast cancer survivors.
Multiple observational studies (1,2,3,4) have demonstrated that participation in moderate-intensity recreational physical activity after diagnosis is associated with improved survival in women who develop breast cancer (1,2,3,4). These studies have demonstrated a 24-67% reduction in the risk of total deaths and 50-53% reduction in the risk of breast cancer deaths in women who are physically active after breast cancer diagnosis compared with women reporting no recreational physical activity. Throughout these studies, the decreased risk of death, especially overall death, associated with physical activity was observed in pre- and postmenopausal women, overweight and normal weight women, and women with stage I-III disease.
The way through which physical activity may help protect against breast cancer include: a favorable influence on sex hormones, insulin-related pathways, the inflammatory process, the prevention of weight gain and obesity. Being overweight or obese has been shown to increase risk for recurrence of breast cancer and the risk of dying from it. Most recently it was found that exercise also helps reduce the joint pain brought on by the hormone therapy given to women after breast cancer surgery in order to reduce the risk of recurrence.
Ultimately, when it comes to exercise, for breast cancer survivors, we MUST and anything is better than nothing. Let’s accept and be grateful to the body we have today and embrace where we are at with our physical endure and start exercising for our life and love ones. I have committed to the Hola Bloom team to run the Susan G. Komen 5K race. I will not feel bad or ashamed that I have to start my training from the beginning. I have dedicated myself to train with the app “Couch to 5K” this year. I would love for you to join me and Hola Bloom in training and participating in Susan G. Komen race this October. Let’s show up and do something for our own health and help find the cure for breast cancer.
1.. Holmes MD, Chen WY, Feskanich D, et al. Physical activity and survival after breast cancer diagnosis. JAMA 2005;293:2479-86.
2.. Holick CN, Newcomb PA, Trentham-Dietz A, et al. Physical activity and survival after diagnosis of invasive breast cancer. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 2008;17:379-86.
3.. Irwin ML. Influence of pre- and post-diagnosis physical activity on survival in breast cancer survivors: the Health, Eating, Activity, and Lifestyle (HEAL) Study. Journal of Clinical Oncology 2008;26(24):3958-64.
4. . Sternfeld B, Weltzien E, Quesenberry CP, Jr., et al. Physical activity and risk of recurrence and mortality in breast cancer survivors: findings from the LACE study. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 2009;18:87-95.
Dr. Heather Colmenter The medical doctor who became a patient. She is an Anesthesiologist affiliated with multiple hospitals in the Houston area, including Baylor St. Luke's Medical Center and CHI St. Luke's Health-Patients Medical Center.