Grant: Travel Awards - Institute Community Support

Chemotherapy is commonly used to treat breast cancer. While it causes cancer cells to die, it also causes death of healthy cells, resulting in many unpleasant symptoms. When symptoms get severe, the patient's doctor may choose to reduce the amount of chemotherapy in order to continue with treatment. However, reducing the amount of chemotherapy also reduces how well it works to reduce the risk of cancer returning, so it is best for the patient to receive the full amount of treatment. Research has shown that exercise can improve fitness, strength, well-being, prevent weight gain and reduce certain side effects when performed during chemotherapy. However, the ability of exercise to help patients to receive greater doses of chemotherapy and potentially greater benefits for reducing risk of cancer recurrence and overall survival is poorly understood. In this study, women receiving chemotherapy for breast cancer were compared to another group of similar women who received a supervised exercise program during their chemotherapy treatment. Exercise was offered three times per week and included both aerobic and strength training. The medical records of both groups of patients were compared. Women in the exercise group were 60% less likely to have the amount of doxorubicin chemotherapy reduced. Women receiving another type of chemotherapy called docetaxel were 39% less likely to gain weight if they were in the exercise group. Exercise did not change the amount of other types of chemotherapy received or the risk of gaining weight on other types of chemotherapy. These results suggest that the benefits of exercise during chemotherapy treatment may differ by the type of chemotherapy agent received. Grouping all chemotherapy treatment types together may hide potential selective benefits.