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High-Intensity Exercise During Chemotherapy for Breast Cancer Improves Survival
The Swedish OptiTrain study consisted of 240 female participants with early-stage breast cancer who were receiving chemotherapy treatment from 2013-2016 (DePolo, 2024). The participants were randomly assigned to one of three exercise groups: no prescribed exercise, high intensity interval training (HIIT) with aerobic exercise, and HIIT with resistance exercise.
The participants in the two HIIT groups trained for an hour each session, and they met twice a week for a total of 16 weeks. The HIIT exercises consisted of 3, 3-minute sets of high-intensity cycling. Each set was then followed by a set of low-intensity cycling that lasted 1 minute.
Results
The vast majority of participants in the HIIT programs reached the 16th week. Researchers revisited this study nine years later and found that the participants who completed the HIIT programs were more likely to be alive than those in the group with no prescribed exercise (DePolo, 2024). And the participants who completed the HIIT resistance program had a lower rate of recurrence than participants in the other two groups.
Physical Barriers to Access
While HITT could be a beneficial aid to ongoing cancer treatment, we must also consider the barriers to treatment this type of intervention can cause. To be able to participate in HITT is a privilege without having a cancer diagnosis. Symptoms during and after chemotherapy can range significantly (weakness, nausea, pain) and may impair the ability of the individual to participate in such rigorous activities.
Time Barriers to Access
Another barrier to this treatment is the time investment it will take. Chemotherapy treatments can last for several hours. Finding the time to participate in HITT may be difficult during active treatment. If an individual has already carved time for treatments, medical appointments, work, and other social activities - making time for this type of intense workout could be challenging.
Cost Barriers to Access
Lastly, there is the barrier to cost-effectiveness. HITT can be done on your own, but it often requires the use of gym equipment and wide-open space to complete the workout. It may require a gym membership, purchase of equipment, or making the space available at home. It could become costly when juggling the medical costs of treatments and appointments, and some individuals may not have the financial stability to commit to this training.
Conclusion
While HITT can be an amazing way to stay active during chemotherapy and can be a beneficial aid to early breast cancer outcomes, we cannot ignore the barriers that prevent this treatment from being easily accessible.
A link to this article can be found here.
References:
DePolo, J. (2024, September 18). High-Intensity exercise during chemotherapy for breast cancer improves survival. BreastCancer.org. https://www.breastcancer.org/research-news/high-intensity-exercise-survival