Exercise in Oncology: Understanding your risks
April 8, 2013
By: Scott Adams
Getting cancer as a young adult is beyond inconvenient and can slow you down in almost every aspect of your life. However, life (as the saying goes) slows for no one. Therefore, it is important that you do everything in your power to protect yourself during treatment and to pick yourself up again after it! Beyond the immediate disruption to your day-to-day life, cancer and anticancer therapies have been associated with the increased risk of developing a host of additional health problems.
The problem really starts with the increased periods of rest associated with recovering from surgeries and treatments. Back in the 1960s, a group of researchers from Dallas, Texas studied the effects of bed rest in a group of young men. When these same researchers did a 30-year follow up study, the results suggested the deconditioning that takes place after just three weeks of bed-rest may be greater than three decades of natural age-related deconditioning. Throw in the effects of local (surgery and radiotherapy) and systemic (chemo, hormone and gene-target) therapies, and you have yourself a recipe for disaster.
The good news is, we are starting to understand how engaging in regular physical activity can protect you from this mess! I appreciate that cancer is scary enough without all of these added concerns. The way I see it, the better you understand your risks, the more likely you will take the necessary steps to protect yourself.
It is tough to speak in general terms about the “risks” when everyone’s story is so different, but here goes. Generally speaking, your risks are largely determined by the structures and systems affected by your cancer and treatments. Local therapies, if left untreated, can cause functional deficits and leave you with muscle imbalances and mobility issues. Systemic therapies may cause unintended damage to the cardiovascular, nervous, musculoskeletal or metabolic systems. In each case, the risks associated with these various anticancer therapies depend on: the extent of the procedure (i.e. size of operation or area irradiated), the toxicity of the therapies, and how your body reacts to them.
Fortunately, there are great sources of information and support available to you! You just need to know where to look and what to ask for. Below are some tips to getting the information you need.
Local therapies (surgery and radiotherapy):
· Little problems, if left unaddressed, can lead to major functional issues in the future.
· Get the area checked out by a physiotherapist (or similar rehabilitation specialist). Make sure the area has healed well and the involved muscles and joints are functioning normally.
· If the problem is cancer-related, you may be able to get a free assessment at the physiotherapy department of your hospital.
· If you have concerns, do not hesitate to go back and talk to your surgeon or radio-oncologist. They can refer you to the necessary services.
Systemic therapies (chemo, hormone and gene-target):
· The risks associated with these therapies are less obvious. Start off by making a list of the medications you have been prescribed.
· Then take that list to your hospital or local pharmacy and ask a pharmacist, doctor, or nurse to explain if there are any long-term risks you should be aware of.
· If you wish to do some digging on your own to find out which of your systems the medication may affect, CLICK HERE to check out a great online patient resource from Cancer Care Ontario.
Please remember, it is always better to speak to someone who has been trained on the effects of medications than to draw conclusions on your own!
Finally, protecting yourself from many of the late effects of cancer starts with you getting up off the couch and “shaking what your mama gave ya” (so to speak). Whether you want to grab a friend or make it a solo mission, get outside (or put on some classic Richard Simmons) and get moving!
