Cancer treatment-induced alterations in muscular fitness and quality of life: the role of exercise training.
BACKGROUND
Cancer survivors experience muscular weakness and reduced mobility, thereby compromising quality of life. This investigation utilized moderate prescriptive exercise to improve upper- and lower-body muscular fitness, flexibility, depression and quality of life in cancer patients.


METHODS
One hundred and thirty-five breast and prostate cancer survivors received cancer and medical history screening and a medical examination, as well as assessments of muscular strength (handgrip dynamometer) and endurance (bench press, lateral pull-down, leg press, shoulder press and curl-up crunch test), flexibility (Modified Sit and Reach), depression (Beck Depression Inventory) and quality of life (Quality of Life Index). Following the exercise assessments, cancer survivors trained in resistance exercise for 6 months during treatment or following treatment based on their results from the assessments and health status.


RESULTS
Cancer survivors following treatment showed significant (P = 0.006) improvements in upper-body muscular endurance (+46.8%), lower-body muscular endurance (+67.1%), core muscular endurance (+32.5%) and flexibility (+6.2%), with concomitant improvements (P = 0.013) in depression (-25.6%) and total quality of life (+7.2%). Cancer survivors during treatment showed significant (P = 0.012) improvements in upper-body muscular endurance (+79.1%) and lower-body muscular endurance (+49.7%) while maintaining core endurance and flexibility in conjunction with improvements (P = 0.022) in depression (-43.0%) and quality of life (+11.5%).


CONCLUSIONS
Moderate-intensity individualized prescriptive exercise is a safe and efficacious means to augment muscular function and improve the quality of life of cancer survivors.
Schneider
C M
CM
Rocky Mountain Cancer Rehabilitation Institute, University of Northern Colorado, Greeley, Colorado 80639, USA. carole.schneider@unco.edu
Hsieh
C C
CC
Sprod
L K
LK
Carter
S D
SD
Hayward
R
R
D000368:Aged; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000523:psychology; D003863:Depression / Q000523:psychology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D018482:Muscle, Skeletal / Q000503:physiopathology*; D011471:Prostatic Neoplasms / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000523:psychology; D011788:Quality of Life; D014891:Weight Lifting