Exercise recommended to improve lives of women with breast cancer

A comprehensive analysis published today in JNCI Cancer Spectrum, found strong evidence that physical activity can improve the quality of life* of women diagnosed with breast cancer, especially after they have finished their primary treatment. Improvements were seen across different areas of well-being including physical and emotional health.

As part of World Cancer Research Fund International’s Global Cancer Update Programme, the analysis, which was carried out at Imperial College London, evaluated all the published research available worldwide on physical activity and whether it improves quality of life among women with breast cancer. The analysis included data on 14,554 breast cancer patients from 79 studies and the evidence was then judged by an independent Expert Panel.

In 2020, breast cancer was the most common cancer and the leading cause of cancer death in women globally, with 2.3 million incident cases and 700,000 deaths estimated. As of the end of 2020, there were 7.8 million women worldwide who had survived at least five years after a breast cancer diagnosis.  

Breast cancer is the most common cancer in the UK and one in eight women will be diagnosed with it in their lifetime. The latest figures show that in 2019 in the UK there were nearly 57,000 new cases of breast cancer in women.

More questions remain, however, regarding exactly what type, amount and timing of physical activity make a difference to quality of life in women living with and beyond breast cancer. Future research should focus on these areas. Until more is understood about these unknowns, women living with breast cancer should aim to follow the general population's national guidelines for physical activity, under the guidance of their healthcare team.

Dr Panagiota Mitrou, Director of Research and Innovation at World Cancer Research Fund, said: “Women are living longer after a diagnosis of breast cancer than ever before, due to earlier detection and improved treatment. It is crucial that as well as living longer, women have a good quality of life. This study has important implications for clinical settings and for guiding future research in this area.

“What we really need to see now is more research into exactly what types of exercise and how long women should be exercising for when it comes to quality of life and breast cancer. This would allow us to develop more specific guidance for women living with and beyond cancer.”

Dr Doris Chan, study co-author at Imperial College London, said: “The findings from this review, supported by the judgement of an independent Expert Panel, support the need for physical activity being routinely incorporated into clinical care for women living with and beyond breast cancer to improve their quality of life.”

There are many myths about behavioural factors and cancer, making it hard for people to know what they should believe. That’s why World Cancer Research Fund has a section on its website that answers the most common questions about diet and exercise during cancer treatment. This has been developed in partnership with the British Dietetic Association (BDA) Oncology Specialist Group and the National Institute for Health and Care Research’s (NIHR) Cancer & Nutrition Collaboration.  

* The study looked at health-related quality of life – in the release we use quality of life for simplicity.  Health-related quality of life is a measure encompassing factors including general health, physical well-being and mental health.

According to the WHO Adults should do at least 150–300 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic physical activity; or at least 75–150 minutes of vigorous-intensity aerobic physical activity; or an equivalent combination of moderate- and vigorous-intensity activity throughout the week, for substantial health benefits. 

About Global Cancer Update Programme

World Cancer Research Fund International’s flagship Global Cancer Update Programme provides an analysis of international scientific research into how diet, nutrition, physical activity and weight affect cancer risk and survival. The programme is produced in partnership with American Institute for Cancer Research, World Cancer Research Fund in the UK and Wereld Kanker Onderzoek Fonds in The Netherlands.  

As part of its development the Global Cancer Update Programme has built the largest cancer prevention database in the world, housed at Imperial College in London. It is the only authoritative scientific resource of its kind, is evaluated by an independent panel of leading cancer experts and to date contains approximately 12,000 papers on cancer prevention and survival. 

About World Cancer Research Fund International

World Cancer Research Fund International examines how diet, nutrition, body weight and physical activity affect your risk of developing and surviving cancer. As part of an international network of charities, we have been funding life-saving research, influencing global public health policy, and educating the public since 1982.  

While society continues searching for a cure, our prevention and survival work is helping people live longer, happier, healthier lives – free from the devastating effects of cancer. www.wcrf.org and Twitter, Facebook, YouTube & LinkedIn. 

Preventing Cancer. Saving Lives  

About Imperial College London  

Imperial College London is one of the world's leading universities. The College's 20,000 students and 8,000 staff are working to solve the biggest challenges in science, medicine, engineering and business.    

Imperial is University of the Year 2022 in the Times and Sunday Times Good University Guide. It is the world’s fifth most international university, according to Times Higher Education, with academic ties to more than 150 countries. Reuters named the College as the UK's most innovative university because of its exceptional entrepreneurial culture and ties to industry.  

Imperial has a greater proportion of world-leading research than any other UK university, according to the Research Excellence Framework (REF). Imperial ranks first in the UK for research outputs, first in the UK for research environment, and first for research impact among Russell Group universities.

http://www.imperial.ac.uk/