Cardiovascular Fitness

Cancer patients can keep their overall fitness while going through many treatments, researchers from the Georgetown University Medical Center said in a new report. Knowing that can help people live longer, one study author said. “We know physical activity is a critical component of cancer survivorship, both during and after cancer treatment,” Jennifer LeMoine said. “In order to prescribe an exercise program, it’s critical that we understand our patient’s fitness level and whether or not treatment has had an impact on their cardiovascular health.” The research was not a controlled, double-blind experiment, but instead reviewed the records of 49 women who were sent to a fitness clinic. There were a variety of body and cancer types, according to a news release on the work. At the start, one-third of the patients were considered sedentary.

All were asked to do a three-minute test to gauge fitness. “What’s really exciting to us was that we found that cardiovascular fitness was not affected by the expected culprits — cancer treatment, type, duration or time since treatment,” LeMoine said. “That isn’t to say there aren’t side effects of some treatments that may hinder physical activity, but when it comes to actual cardiovascular fitness as measured in our clinic, many of the standard treatments didn’t have a role.” A news release on the study did not indicate if the study was long enough to determine if fitness levels had an effect on recovery or survival times. The results were presented at the American College of Sports Medicine in Seattle.