Clinical Oncology Society of Australia (COSA) today released a position statement on the importance of exercise prescription (& completion!) for all cancer patients.
There is excellent evidence that exercise in people undergoing treatment for cancer:
- improves functional ability
- attenuates cancer-related fatigue
- alleviates psychological distress
- improves quality of life
Regular exercise before, during and after cancer treatment:
- decreases the severity of side effects
- is associated with a reduced risk of developing new cancers
- is associated with reduced risk of developing other associated medical conditions such as heart disease, diabetes and osteoporosis
For patients who have breast, colorectal or prostate cancer, research suggests that physical activity provides protection against cancer recurrence and cancer specific mortality (death)
A Sport & Exercise Physician is an expert in the prescription of exercise for medical condition management, treatment and prevention and is ideally placed to provide guidance to cancer patients, their Oncologists and wider treatment team on the use of exercise as medicine.