Exercise Shows Promise in Reducing Pain for Women with Metastatic Breast Cancer
At the XIV European Conference on Breast Cancer in Milan, researchers presented evidence showing that exercise can help women with metastatic breast cancer reduce the pain often associated with the disease. Anouk Hiensch, from the Department of Epidemiology at the University Medical Center of Utrecht, explained that physical activity may reduce inflammation levels, leading to decreased pain for these patients.
The study involved 357 patients from various cancer centers in Europe and Australia, with half participating in a nine-month personalized exercise program. The program included resistance, aerobic, and balance exercises supervised by experts. Results showed that women in the exercise group reported lower levels of fatigue and overall better quality of life, particularly those under 50 and those experiencing pain at the beginning of the study.
Based on these positive outcomes, researchers suggest integrating supervised movement into standard care for all metastatic breast cancer patients, especially those experiencing pain. They also highlight the importance of discussing physical activity with healthcare professionals to determine the appropriate level of exercise for symptom relief.
The study’s findings offer hope for improving the quality of life for patients with metastatic breast cancer. However, more research is needed to evaluate the cost-benefit ratio of implementing exercise programs in treatment plans. The Dutch research group hopes that with this data, health institutions will consider funding such programs to support the well-being of these patients.