Exercise after breast cancer diagnosis linked to better quality of life, study finds
Athabasca University researcher part of Alberta-wide study exploring impact of physical activity on breast cancer recovery and survival
Patients with breast cancer who exercise and reduce sedentary behaviour in the first few months after diagnosis report less fatigue and an overall improved quality of life, according to research from a landmark Alberta-wide study.
Dr. Jeff Vallance, a professor and Canada Research Chair in Health Promotion and Chronic Disease Management at Athabasca University (AU), said that quality of life of patients with breast cancer is typically at its lowest in the 2 months after diagnosis.
“It’s a period of 6 to 8 weeks where it is distressing, and there is a lot of worrying involved,” he said. “You feel fatigued, so you lay down, sleep, get up and you just feel fatigued again. It’s important to find an opportunity to disrupt that cycle of fatigue.”
Breast cancer and breaking the fatigue cycle
Vallance is one of the principal researchers working on the Alberta Moving Beyond Breast Cancer (AMBER) study. The multi-year research includes 1,500 patients with breast cancer in Alberta and is exploring the impact of lifestyle and physical activity and recovery and survival.
For the first time, Vallance and his team looked at the window of time between a patient’s cancer diagnosis and when they start treatment including undergoing surgery. They found that physical activity and reducing sedentary behaviour helps improve quality of life, including breaking the cycle of fatigue.
“This timeframe was a missing piece of the puzzle that we can now put into the big picture,” Vallance explained.
This timeframe was a missing piece of the puzzle that we can now put into the big picture. Dr. Jeff Vallance, professor, Canada Research Chair in Health Promotion and Chronic Disease Management at AU
Exploring exercise and quality of life
Using activity trackers, the research team examined the link between inactivity, quality of life, and fatigue for patients with breast cancer in the first 6 to 8 weeks after diagnosis. An ActiGraph device on their right hip measured physical activity, and an activPAL device on their thigh tracked steps and sedentary time.
They found that moderate and vigorous daily physical activity hours were linked with improved physical quality of life.
Vallance said he was pleasantly surprised by the data.
“We thought sitting time to be much more prevalent with the women in this timeframe, but it was the same as women who were 1, 3, and even 5 years post treatment. Activity time was about an hour per day.”
We thought sitting time to be much more prevalent with the women in this timeframe, but it was the same as women who were 1, 3, and even 5 years post treatment.
Improving quality of life with exercise
Previous research shows that when people improve their fitness and aerobic capacity before going for surgery—a process called prehabilitation—they are better able to recover post-operation.
“We haven’t found any strong reasons to not be active—of course medical complications or surgery recovery, but the people who are more fit or active, have better outcomes down the road,” he said.
“This is a first step towards developing and considering exercise interventions during that period of time, right after diagnosis.”
This is a first step towards developing and considering exercise interventions during that period of time, right after diagnosis.
Taking the research findings further
The next phase of the AMBER study will use the current findings to further understand the impact of activity and sedentary time on mental health—specifically, depression diagnosis and symptoms.
Vallance and his team also want to know how the outcomes vary while people are going through their cancer treatments.
The AMBER study is funded by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research.
Learn more about research in the Faculty of Health Disciplines at AU.
