Exercise in cancer therapy

An increasing number of epidemiological studies deal with the influence of physical activity in occupation or leisure time on cancer risk. Most of them portend to the fact that physical activity can decrease the risk of developing several types of cancer. In contrast, only a few studies focus on exercise training intervention studies to investigate the effect of physical activity during cancer rehabilitation on physical performance and immune function as well as psychological behavior such as quality of life. A meta-analysis of the literature shows a training-induced increase in the physical fitness of cancer patients in comparison to non-training control groups during and after medical treatment. Although some authors suggest a possible immune-enhancing effect of moderateendurance exercise in cancer patients, data are ambiguous and portend a lack of knowledge. Based on the literature and our own findings, regular moderate exercise should be recommended in practice and must be batched individually, with special regard to physical fitness.