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Observational Study
. 2024 Jun 7;70(suppl 1):e2024S120.
doi: 10.1590/1806-9282.2024S120. eCollection 2024.

The impact of a physical exercise program on quality of life, fatigue, physical performance, and level of physical activity in patients with cancer

Fabiana Reis  1 , Ana Carolina Caporali Pereira  1 , Elisângela Pinto Marinho de Almeida  1 , Rebeca Boltes Cecatto  1   2 , Christina May Moran de Brito  1   3
Affiliations
Observational Study

The impact of a physical exercise program on quality of life, fatigue, physical performance, and level of physical activity in patients with cancer

Fabiana Reis et al. Rev Assoc Med Bras (1992). .

Abstract

Objective: Increasing evidence suggests that exercise programs are of great value in the rehabilitation and survivorship of patients with cancer. However, challenges remain regarding maintaining patients more physically active. This study aimed to evaluate the impact of a supervised exercise program on quality of life, fatigue, physical performance, and levels of physical activity of patients with cancer.

Methods: An observational longitudinal study, with a 1-year prospective follow-up, was developed.

Setting: This is a university-based outpatient rehabilitation program in a high-complexity cancer care center in Sao Paulo.

Results: After the program, patients showed a significant gain in quality of life (p<0.0001), physical performance (p<0.0001), and improvement in fatigue (p<0.0001). After 12 months, 81.1% of the patients remained active, and only 4.5% declared themselves to be sedentary.

Conclusion: The results of this study confirm that exercise programs are an important tool in the rehabilitation of patients with cancer and that an initial supervised exercise program, in combination with follow-ups, can help increase the levels of physical activity of this population.

Clinical rehabilitation impact: This study provides additional information on the outcomes that are expected with the provision of a supervised physical exercise program in the rehabilitation care of patients with cancer and that additional follow-ups could further benefit this population.

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Conflict of interest statement

Conflicts of interest: the authors declare there is no conflicts of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1. Participants’ follow-up attendance throughout the study.
Figure 2
Figure 2. Therapeutic gymnasium of the Cancer Institute of the State of Sao Paulo Rehabilitation Center.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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