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Personalized Training Regular exercise for breast cancer patients advised
Breast cancer is the most common malignant tumor in women. In Germany alone, 70,000 new cases are counted each year. Health experts say regular exercise can not only reduce the risk of breast cancer, but also help affected patients. A personalized training offers special advantages here.
Most of the patients can be successfully treated
Around 70,000 women in Germany get new breast cancer every year. According to the German Society of Senology (DGS), around 80 percent of ill women today can be successfully treated. However, a lot depends on an early diagnosis. Various studies have shown that regular exercise is useful for preventing the risk of breast cancer. And in affected patients, sport helps against the side effects of hormone therapy. The training has even more benefits, especially if it is personalized.
A recent study showed that the positive effects of regular exercise in breast cancer patients, especially in personalized training come to fruition. (Image: ARochau / fotolia.com) Positive effects through regular exercise
Regular physical activity also has a positive effect on sick people. This realization has been confirmed many times. However, it is not yet clear which patients with which disease need which kind of training.
The sports scientist Priv.-Doz. Dr. Freerk Baumann from the Center for Integrated Oncology (CIO) at the University of Cologne could now prove in a study with breast cancer patients that the key to sustainable positive effects in the personalization of training lies.
The study results were recently published in the international journal "Supportive Care in Cancer".
Personalized training for breast cancer patients
According to a communication from the clinic, the study was conducted in cooperation with Prof. Dr. med. Monika Reuss-Borst, Medical Coordinator of Rehabilitation Centers Bad Kissingen and Bad Mergentheim, as well as with the German Sport University Cologne.
A total of 194 breast cancer patients participated. The first group of 111 patients underwent a specially tailored - personalized - three-week training in a rehabilitation clinic.
Subsequently, this group was hospitalized once every four to eight months, for one week each, and additionally received a personal recommendation for training at home.
It took into account, for example, which sportive preferences or habits each individual patient has or which training possibilities exist locally. Contacts to local cancer sports groups were also established.
The control group with 83 patients received a guideline-compliant standard rehab without any further care or guidance, which corresponds to today's usual rehabilitation practice for breast cancer patients.
Health-related quality of life increased
In the course of the study, both groups were interviewed a total of five times, with the aim of clarifying two questions: Is there a difference between the groups with regard to their physical physical activity and is a connection with the occurrence of typical side effects such as fatigue (fatigue)? Syndrome)?
It was found that the patients who received a training program tailored to their personal preferences and abilities significantly improved their physical activity levels over the two-year period.
Seventy-five percent of patients achieved the World Health Organization (WHO) motion recommendations of at least 150 minutes of moderate activity per week.
By contrast, the control group only increased slightly. The fatigue syndrome was also significantly reduced and overall health-related quality of life increased.
Regular sport against fatigue
For women suffering from breast cancer, clear and sustained positive effects could thus be demonstrated, provided that they are exercising according to a customized program.
"We now know that if we want to achieve optimal and therefore sustainable effects of exercise therapy, then the offers have to be personalized," said Priv.-Doz. Baumann, who wants to transfer the knowledge gained in a next step to the training plans for breast cancer patients.
"In addition, this study shows once again that rehab is effective and indispensable - if used properly. The necessary adjustments in the rehabilitation system are necessary from our point of view. "
Previous research has shown that regular exercise is beneficial for the women affected. For example, the German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ) in Heidelberg reported on a study that found that weight training primarily helps breast cancer patients alleviate or even alleviate the mostly fatigue associated with illness and therapy to avoid. (Ad)