BMJ  2007;334:484-485 (10 March), doi:10.1136/bmj.39134.625012.80

Editorials

Exercise in survivors of cancer

Evidence so far is promising, yet the optimal programme is unclear

The first 150 words of the full text of this article appear below.

The benefits of exercise in people with cardiovascular disease are well documented,¹ but its effect in people with cancer is less well studied. This is largely because research into the effects of exercise in preventing and recovering from heart attacks and strokes has been studied for much longer.

In this week's BMJ, a randomised controlled trial by Mutrie and colleagues assesses the functional and psychological effects of a 12 week exercise programme in women with early stage breast cancer.² It found no significant difference in the primary outcome of quality of life at 12 weeks as measured by the functional assessment of cancer therapy (FACT-G) questionnaire. However, it did find significant improvements at 12 weeks in secondary outcomes such as the number of metres walked in 12 minutes, the amount of exercise of moderate intensity taken in one week, mobility of the shoulder, and breast cancer specific quality of . . . [Full text of this article]

Harvard Medical School, Framingham, MA 01702, USA

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Relevant Article

Benefits of supervised group exercise programme for women being treated for early stage breast cancer: pragmatic randomised controlled trial

Nanette Mutrie, Anna M Campbell, Fiona Whyte, Alex McConnachie, Carol Emslie, Laura Lee, Nora Kearney, Andrew Walker, and Diana Ritchie
BMJ 2007 334: 517. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]