Exercise boosts tumor-fighting ability of chemotherapy in cancer patients, researchers say

TAGS : CHEMOTHERAPY,  CANCER,  EXERCISE
Exercise boosts tumor-fighting ability of chemotherapy in cancer patients, researchers say While exercise has been found to benefit cancer patients both physically and psychologically, researchers say a new study proves it can also boost the effect chemotherapy has on a patient.

Cancer patients who are undergoing chemotherapy may benefit from regular exercise, says a new study. Researchers from the University of Pennsylvania say that exercise can boost the tumor fighting abilities of chemotherapy. 

 In a study by a team at the University of Pennsylvania, researchers using a mouse model of melanoma found that combining exercise with chemotherapy shrunk tumors more than chemotherapy alone.

The researchers plan to further investigate why exercise boosts the effect of chemotherapy. 

Joseph Libonati, an associate professor in the School of Nursing and director of the Laboratory of Innovative and Translational Nursing Research, senior author on the study, and colleagues were particularly interested in testing whether exercise could protect against the negative cardiac-related side effects of the common cancer drug doxorubicin.

Though effective at treating a variety of types of cancer, doxorubicin has is known to damage heart cells, which could lead to heart failure in the long-term. "The immediate concern for these patients is, of course, the cancer, and they'll do whatever it takes to get rid of it," Libonati said.

Previous studies had shown that an exercise regime prior to receiving chemotherapy could protect heart cells from the toxic effects of doxorubicin, but few had looked to see whether an exercise regimen during chemotherapy could be beneficial.

Further studies will investigate exactly how exercise enhances the effect of doxorubicin, but the team believes it could be in part because exercise increases blood flow to the tumour, bringing with it more of the drug in the bloodstream.

If exercise seems to work well with chemotherapy, doctors would be able to lower the dose of the drug used in chemo treatments. By reducing the dosage, patients would be able to greatly reduce side effects. 

Exercise has been recommended for cancer patients for some time. Not only does it help physical health, but exercise can also boost mental health. 

The researchers plan to further investigate why exercise boosts the effect of chemotherapy.