Interest for a Systematic Rehabilitation Program Including Physical Exercise and Lifestyle Accompaniment for Women Recently Treated for Early Breast Cancer: A Comparative Study

Abstract

Background/aim: A prospective non-randomized study was performed on 68 women who had recently undergone curative treatment (surgery +/- adjuvant radio/chemotherapy) for breast cancer.

Patients and methods: Patients were distributed into 2 subgroups, control (C) group (n=21) and experimental (E) group (n=47). The last group participated in a 12-week rehabilitation program associating physical activity and psychoeducational workshops, including management of stress, diet, and sleep disorders.

Results: Despite the initial imbalance between the groups (patients from C group were older and had received less chemotherapy than those from the E group), at the end of the rehabilitation program, we observed a significant improvement in global health feeling and in objective physical tests (distance covered in 6 min and objective measures of ergospirometry), and a decrease in pathological fatigue, while these different items remained quite stable over time in the control group.

Conclusion: It is suggested to recommend structured rehabilitation to any patient who does not have a contraindication to it. In addition, the scientific literature encourages us to extend the spectrum of oncological rehabilitation to pathologies other than breast cancer.

Keywords: Breast cancer; fatigue; oncological rehabilitation; physical exercise; quality of life.