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Review
. 2024 Jun;65(6):315-323.
doi: 10.3349/ymj.2023.0638.

Exercise Across the Phases of Cancer Survivorship: A Narrative Review

Ki-Yong An  1 , Jihee Min  2 , Dong Hoon Lee  3   4 , Dong-Woo Kang  5   6 , Kerry S Courneya  1 , Justin Y Jeon  3   7   8
Affiliations
Review

Exercise Across the Phases of Cancer Survivorship: A Narrative Review

Ki-Yong An et al. Yonsei Med J. 2024 Jun.

Abstract

Exercise has long been recognized as an important component of treatment for various diseases. However, the benefits and risks of exercise interventions must be carefully evaluated to ensure the former outweighs the latter. As cancer patients undergo diverse treatment modalities with distinct objectives, a systematic approach partitioning the cancer journey into distinct phases is necessary to inform tailored exercise prescriptions. This narrative review summarizes exercise benefits and mechanisms for cancer patients and survivors across four distinct survivorship periods-before surgery, after surgery and before adjuvant treatment, during nonsurgical treatment (adjuvant and neoadjuvant), and during extended survival. In summary, exercise reduces the risks of complications and declines in physical functioning while improving fatigue, quality of life, and the ability to manage treatment effects. Although additional research is warranted, existing evidence is sufficient to integrate exercise into clinical oncology practice and cancer survivorship programs.

Keywords: Exercise; adjuvant chemotherapy; cancer survivors; neoplasms.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors have no potential conflicts of interest to disclose.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1. Comparison of the phases of cancer trajectory in the current review. PEACE, Physical Exercise Across the Cancer Experience.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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