EFFECTS OF COMBINED EXERCISE ON PSYCHOLOGICAL AND PHYSIOLOGICAL VARIABLES IN CANCER PATIENTS: A PRELIMINARY STUDY

Gianpiero Greco

Abstract


This study aimed to investigate the effect of a short-term combined exercise intervention program on perceived self-efficacy, fatigue, lower back flexibility, balance and task specific functional mobility in cancer patients. Fifteen patients met all the eligibility criteria and were assigned to a single training group (range age, 22-75 years) that performed an 8-week intervention program (~60min, 2d·wk-1). Each session included a progressive training of cardiorespiratory, resistance, flexibility and postural education exercises. Measures pre-intervention and post-intervention included psychological and physiological measurements. Adherence to training was high (92.3±5.2%) and no major health problem were noted in the participants over the 8 weeks. Measures of fatigue have significantly decreased (p<0.001; -27.7%) and perceived capability to regulate negative affect (p < 0.001; +18.2%) and to express positive emotions (p = 0.003; +11.8%) improved between the pre- and post-study measurements. Highly significant increases were observed in the trunk lateral flexibility test (L: p<0.001; -13.2%; R:  p<0.001; -12.8%), stork balance stand test (L: p<0.001, +30.1%; R: p<0.001, +66.7%), and in the number of standing up and sitting down from a chair within 30 seconds (p<0.001; +20.4%). Results suggest that a short-term combined exercise program may improve the physical fitness, functional capacity, capability to manage emotional life and reduce levels of perceived fatigue in cancer patients providing an important support to deal with the physiological and psychological side effects.

 

Article visualizations:

Hit counter

DOI

Keywords


physical fitness; special population; functional capacity; self-efficacy; cancer-related fatigue

Full Text:

PDF

References


Bandura, A., Caprara, G. V., Barbaranelli, C., Gerbino, M., & Pastorelli, C. (2003). Role of affective self-regulatory efficacy on diverse spheres of psychosocial functioning. Child Development, 74, 769–782.

Blair, C. K., Morey, M. C., Desmond, R. A., Cohen, H. J., Sloane, R., Snyder, D. C., & Demark-Wahnefried, W. (2014). Light-intensity activity attenuates functional decline in older cancer survivors. Medicine and science in sports and exercise, 46(7), 1375.

Bonn, S. E., Sjölander, A., Lagerros, Y. T., Wiklund, F., Stattin, P., Holmberg, E., ... & Bälter, K. (2015). Physical activity and survival among men diagnosed with prostate cancer. Cancer Epidemiology and Prevention Biomarkers, 24(1), 57-64.

Burnham, T. R., & Wilcox, A. (2002). Effects of exercise on physiological and psychological variables in cancer survivors. Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise, 34(12), 1863-1867.

Caprara, G. V., & Gerbino, M. (2001). Affective perceived self-efficacy: The capacity to regulate negative affect and to express positive affect. In: Caprara, G.V., editor. Self-efficacy assessment. Trento, Italy: Ed. Erickson. p. 35-50.

Cheema, B. S. B., & Gaul, C. A. (2006). Full-body exercise training improves fitness and quality of life in survivors of breast cancer. Journal of strength and conditioning research, 20(1), 14.

Cohen, J. (1988). Statistical power analysis for the behavioral sciences. 2nd edition. Hillsdale, NJ: L. Lawrence Earlbaum Associates.

Cohen, L., Manion, L., & Morrison, K. (2011). Research Methods in Education (7th edition). Oxford, UK: Routledge.

Courneya, K. S., & Friedenreich, C. M. (1997). Determinants of exercise during colorectal cancer treatment: an application of the theory of planned behavior. Oncology nursing forum, 24, (10), 1715-1723.

Courneya, K. S., Mackey, J. R., Bell, G. J., Jones, L. W., Field, C. J., & Fairey, A. S. (2003). Randomized controlled trial of exercise training in postmenopausal breast cancer survivors: cardiopulmonary and quality of life outcomes. Journal of clinical oncology, 21(9), 1660-1668.

Courneya, K. S., Segal, R. J., Mackey, J. R., Gelmon, K., Reid, R. D., Friedenreich, C. M., ... & Yasui, Y. (2007). Effects of aerobic and resistance exercise in breast cancer patients receiving adjuvant chemotherapy: a multicenter randomized controlled trial. Journal of clinical oncology, 25(28), 4396-4404.

Cramp, F. A., & Byron-Daniel, J. Z. (2012). Exercise for the management of cancer related fatigue in adults. Cochrane database of systematic reviews, 11(131).

Dash, C., Randolph-Jackson, P. D., Isaacs, C., Mills, M., Makambi, K., Watkins, V. V., & Adams-Campbell, L. L. (2016). An exercise trial to reduce cancer related fatigue in African American breast cancer patients undergoing radiation therapy: Design, rationale, and methods. Contemporary clinical trials, 47, 153-157.

Dimeo, F. C. (2001). Effects of exercise on cancer‐related fatigue. Cancer: Interdisciplinary International Journal of the American Cancer Society, 92(S6), 1689-1693.

Dimeo, F., Rumberger, B. G., & Keul, J. (1998). Aerobic exercise as therapy for cancer fatigue. Medicine and science in sports and exercise, 30(4), 475-478.

Dimeo, F., Schwartz, S., Wesel, N., Voigt, A., & Thiel, E. (2008). Effects of an endurance and resistance exercise program on persistent cancer-related fatigue after treatment. Annals of oncology, 19(8), 1495-1499.

Durak, E. P., & Lilly, P. C. (1998). The application of an exercise and wellness program for cancer patients: a preliminary outcomes report. The Journal of Strength & Conditioning Research, 12(1), 3-6.

Friedenreich, C. M., & Orenstein, M. R. (2002). Physical activity and cancer prevention: etiologic evidence and biological mechanisms. The Journal of nutrition, 132(11), 3456S-3464S.

Friedenreich, C. M., Wang, Q., Neilson, H. K., Kopciuk, K. A., McGregor, S. E., & Courneya, K. S. (2016). Physical activity and survival after prostate cancer. European urology, 70(4), 576-585.

Frost, M., Stuckey, S., Smalley, L. A., & Dorman, G. (1982). Reliability of measuring trunk motions in centimeters. Physical therapy, 62(10), 1431-1437.

Graydon, J. E. (1994). Women with breast cancer: their quality of life following a course of radiation therapy. Journal of Advanced Nursing, 19(4), 617-622.

Herrero, F., San Juan, A. F., Fleck, S. J., Balmer, J., Perez, M., Canete, S., ... Lucia, A. (2006). Combined aerobic and resistance training in breast cancer survivors: A randomized, controlled pilot trial. International Journal of Sports Medicine, 27(7), 573-580.

Hojan, K., Kwiatkowska-Borowczyk, E., Leporowska, E., Gorecki, M., Ozga-Majchrzak, O., Milecki, T., & Milecki, P. (2016). Physical exercise for functional capacity, blood immune function, fatigue, and quality of life in high-risk prostate cancer patients during radiotherapy: a prospective, randomized clinical study. European journal of physical and rehabilitation medicine, 52(4), 489-501.

Holmes, M. D., Chen, W. Y., Feskanich, D., Kroenke, C. H., & Colditz, G. A. (2005). Physical activity and survival after breast cancer diagnosis. Jama, 293(20), 2479-2486.

Jacobs, P. (Ed.). (2017). NSCA's Essentials of Training Special Populations. Champaign, IL: Human Kinetics.

Knols, R., Aaronson, N. K., Uebelhart, D., Fransen, J., & Aufdemkampe, G. (2005). Physical exercise in cancer patients during and after medical treatment: a systematic review of randomized and controlled clinical trials. Journal of clinical oncology, 23(16), 3830-3842.

Kolden, G. G., Strauman, T. J., Ward, A., Kuta, J., Woods, T. E., Schneider, K. L., ... & Kalin, N. H. (2002). A pilot study of group exercise training (GET) for women with primary breast cancer: feasibility and health benefits. Psycho‐Oncology: Journal of the Psychological, Social and Behavioral Dimensions of Cancer, 11(5), 447-456.

Lucía, A., Earnest, C., & Pérez, M. (2003). Cancer–related fatigue: can exercise physiology assist oncologists? The lancet oncology, 4(10), 616-625.

Macfarlane, D. J., Chou, K. L., Cheng, Y. H., & Chi, I. (2006). Validity and normative data for thirty‐second chair stand test in elderly community‐dwelling Hong Kong Chinese. American Journal of Human Biology: The Official Journal of the Human Biology Association, 18(3), 418-421.

McCurdy, K., & Langford, G. (2006). The relationship between maximum unilateral squat strength and balance in young adult men and women. Journal of sports science & medicine, 5(2), 282.

McKenzie, D. C., & Kalda, A. L. (2003). Effect of upper extremity exercise on secondary lymphedema in breast cancer patients: a pilot study. Journal of clinical oncology, 21(3), 463-466.

Miller, K. D., Siegel, R. L., Lin, C. C., Mariotto, A. B., Kramer, J. L., Rowland, J. H., ... & Jemal, A. (2016). Cancer treatment and survivorship statistics, 2016. CA: a cancer journal for clinicians, 66(4), 271-289.

Moore, S. C., Lee, I. M., Weiderpass, E., Campbell, P. T., Sampson, J. N., Kitahara, C. M., ... & Adami, H. O. (2016). Association of leisure-time physical activity with risk of 26 types of cancer in 1.44 million adults. JAMA internal medicine, 176(6), 816-825.

Nichols, H. B., Trentham-Dietz, A., Egan, K. M., Titus-Ernstoff, L., Holmes, M. D., Bersch, A. J., ... & Newcomb, P. A. (2009). Body mass index before and after breast cancer diagnosis: associations with all-cause, breast cancer, and cardiovascular disease mortality. Cancer Epidemiology and Prevention Biomarkers, 18(5), 1403-1409.

Oldervoll, L. M., Kaasa, S., Knobel, H., & Loge, J. H. (2003). Exercise reduces fatigue in chronic fatigued Hodgkins disease survivors—results from a pilot study. European Journal of Cancer, 39(1), 57-63.

Portenoy, R. K., & Itri, L. M. (1999). Cancer-related fatigue: guidelines for evaluation and management. The oncologist, 4(1), 1-10.

Schmitz, K. H., Courneya, K. S., Matthews, C., Demark-Wahnefried, W., Galvão, D. A., Pinto, B. M., ... & Schneider, C. M. (2010). American College of Sports Medicine roundtable on exercise guidelines for cancer survivors. Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise, 42(7), 1409-1426.

Segal, R. J., Reid, R. D., Courneya, K. S., Malone, S. C., Parliament, M. B., Scott, C. G., ... & Wells, G. A. (2003). Resistance exercise in men receiving androgen deprivation therapy for prostate cancer. Journal of Clinical Oncology, 21(9), 1653-1659.

Tarver, T. (2012). American Cancer Society. Cancer facts and figures 2014. J Consumer Health Internet, 16, 366-367.

Thompson, W. G. (1994). Exercise and health: fact or hype? Southern medical journal, 87(5), 567-574.

Travier, N., Velthuis, M. J., Bisschop, C. N. S., van den Buijs, B., Monninkhof, E. M., Backx, F., ... & de Roos, M. A. (2015). Effects of an 18-week exercise programme started early during breast cancer treatment: a randomised controlled trial. BMC medicine, 13(1), 121.

Van Vulpen, J., Velthuis, M. J., Steins, C. B., Travier, N., Van, B. D. B., Backx, F. J., ... & De, M. R. (2016). Effects of an Exercise Program in Colon Cancer Patients undergoing Chemotherapy. Medicine and science in sports and exercise, 48(5), 767-775.

Vincent, W., & Weir, J. P. (2012). Statistics in Kinesiology (4th Ed). Champaign, IL: Human Kinetics.

Willer, A. (2003). Reduction of the individual cancer risk by physical exercise. Oncology Research and Treatment, 26(3), 283-289.

Wong, K. Y. A., & Cheung, S. Y. (2005). Physical activity level and functional fitness of older women in Hong Kong. Research Quarterly for Exercise and Sport, 76, 119 – 120.


Refbacks

  • There are currently no refbacks.


Copyright (c) 2020 Gianpiero Greco

Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

Copyright © 2019 - 2023. European Journal of Public Health Studies (ISSN 2668-1056/ISSN-L 2668-1056) is a registered trademark of Open Access Publishing Group. All rights reserved.

This journal is a serial publication uniquely identified by an International Standard Serial Number (ISSN) serial number certificate issued by Romanian National Library. All the research works are uniquely identified by a CrossRef DOI digital object identifier supplied by indexing and repository platforms. All the research works published on this journal are meeting the Open Access Publishing requirements and standards formulated by Budapest Open Access Initiative (2002), the Bethesda Statement on Open Access Publishing (2003) and Berlin Declaration on Open Access to Knowledge in the Sciences and Humanities (2003) and can be freely accessed, shared, modified, distributed and used in educational, commercial and non-commercial purposes under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. Copyrights of the published research works are retained by authors.