Working out the cancer fatigue
EXERCISE could be a more effective way of reducing cancerrelated fatigue than medications suggests new research published in JAMA Oncology.
Led by the Wilmot Cancer Institute at the University of Rochester in the state of New York, the study analysed more than 11,000 patients across 113 unique studies that tested various treatments for cancer-related fatigue.
All were randomised clinical trials, which is the highest standard for evaluating effective treatments.
Nearly half of the studies’ participants were women with breast cancer, with 10 studies focusing on other types of cancer and including only men.
All of the participants suffered cancer-related fatigue, the most common side effect during and after cancer treatment.
This type of fatigue is different from being chronically tired, explains lead author Karen Mustian.
It is a “crushing” sensation that’s not relieved by rest or sleep and that can persist for months or even years, she added.
Even more concerning, Mustian explained, is that this fatigue can decrease a patient’s chances of survival because sufferers are less likely to complete medical treatments.
That is why the National Cancer Institute is putting cancer-related fatigue as a top research priority, she added.
After analysing the data, Mustian and her team found that exercise alone – including both aerobic or anaerobic – had the most significant effect on reducing cancer-related fatigue.
Psychological interventions, such as therapy to help change personal behaviour and the way a person thinks about his or her circumstances, also had a similar, beneficial effect.
With exercise and/or psychological therapy working better than medications used for treating cancer-related fatigue, the team now believe that these methods should be recommended first to patients.
Mustian has been studying exercise and cancer alongside Wilmot colleagues for almost 15 years.
Much of her work looks at gentle yoga, walking, resistance bands, and other forms of movement to help ease the side effects of cancer medications. – AFP-Relaxnews