Exercise Recommendations
Hester Hill Schnipper, LICSW, OSW-C Program Manager, Oncology Social Work
MARCH 15, 2017
Depending on your perspective and energy level, this report is either wonky or helpful. I know that I have written many times about the value of exercise. There is a lot of data suggesting that regular mild to moderate exercise can make the treatment months easier and may reduce recurrence risks for some cancers. Those benefits are in addition to the others we already know: weight management, cardio-vascular, general good health.
From Cancer Care Ontario comes this very specific set of guidelines. I am sharing an article that has been published in Current Oncology. Here is the abstract and a link to read more:
Exercise for people with cancer: a clinical practice guideline
Methods
Consistent with the pebc’s standardized approach, a systematic search was conducted for existing guidelines, and systematic literature searches were performed in medline and embase for both systematic reviews and primary literature. Content and methodology experts performed an internal review, which was followed by an external review by targeted experts and intended users.
Results
The search identified three guidelines, eighteen systematic reviews, and twenty-nine randomized controlled trials with relevance to the topic. The present guideline provides recommendations for the duration, frequency, and intensity of exercise appropriate for people living with cancer. It also provides recommendations for pre-exercise assessment, safety concerns, and delivery models.
Conclusions
There is sufficient evidence to show that exercise provides benefits in quality of life and muscular and aerobic fitness for people with cancer both during and after treatment, and that it does not cause harm. The present guideline is intended to support the Canadian Society for Exercise Physiology’s Canadian physical activity guidelines. The recommendations are intended for clinicians and institutions treating cancer patients in Ontario, and for policymakers and program planners involved in the delivery of exercise programs for cancer patients.
Read more: http://www.current-oncology.com/index.php/oncology/article/view/3376
Note that there is a link at the above link to download the full PDF