{"id":580782,"date":"2026-08-02T20:58:10","date_gmt":"2026-08-02T20:58:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/580782\/"},"modified":"2026-08-02T20:58:10","modified_gmt":"2026-08-02T20:58:10","slug":"muna-al-khaifi-explores-how-exercise-improves-outcomes-in-breast-cancer","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/580782\/","title":{"rendered":"Muna Al-Khaifi Explores How Exercise Improves Outcomes in Breast Cancer"},"content":{"rendered":"

Muna Al-Khaifi, GP Oncologist at\u00a0Mount Sinai Hospital (Toronto),<\/a>\u00a0Sinai Health.\u00a0This article summarizes the systematic review and meta-analysis by Lee and Hwang, which evaluated the effects of exercise interventions on fatigue, body composition, physical fitness, and circulating biomarkers in women with breast cancer during active treatment and after treatment completion. The review examines how stage-specific exercise programs influence cancer-related fatigue, metabolic and inflammatory biomarkers, body composition, physical function, and cardiometabolic health. It also discusses current exercise recommendations, evidence gaps, and the role of individualized exercise prescriptions as a cornerstone of precision supportive care across the breast cancer continuum.<\/p>\n

Exercise interventions on fatigue, body composition, physical fitness, and biomarkers in breast cancer patients during and after treatment<\/p>\n

This article summarizes the systematic review and meta-analysis by Lee et al., which evaluated the effects of exercise interventions on fatigue, body composition, physical fitness, and circulating biomarkers in breast cancer patients during active treatment and after treatment completion.<\/p>\n

The review synthesized evidence examining the impact of exercise on cancer-related fatigue, body composition, physical fitness, functional outcomes, and circulating biological biomarkers to characterize stage-specific responses to exercise.<\/p>\n

Biological Mechanisms and Biomarker Modulation<\/p>\n

Exercise has been associated with several important physiological benefits in breast cancer survivors, including:<\/p>\n

Reduced total and visceral fat and preservation of lean body mass
\nImproved insulin resistance, glucose metabolism, and lipid profiles
\nFavorable changes in inflammatory and metabolic biomarkers (e.g., CRP, IL-6, TNF-\u03b1, IGF-1, adiponectin, and leptin)
\nImproved immune, endothelial, mitochondrial, and skeletal muscle function
\nEnhanced cardiorespiratory fitness and overall metabolic health<\/p>\n

Current Exercise Guidelines and Knowledge Gaps<\/p>\n

Current Exercise Guidelines
\nEvidence Gaps<\/p>\n

Aerobic exercise: 3\u20135 sessions\/week of moderate-intensity exercise (50\u201370% of maximum heart rate) for 20\u201360 minutes per session
\nOptimal timing of exercise across the breast cancer continuum<\/p>\n

Resistance training: 2\u20133 sessions\/week consisting of 2\u20133 sets of 8\u201315 repetitions targeting major muscle groups
\nOptimal modality, frequency, intensity, duration, and dose of exercise for different patient populations and treatment phases<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

RESULTS <\/p>\n

A total of 40 RCTs comprising 4,271 women with breast cancer were included in this systematic review and meta-analysis. Of these, 2,425 participants were undergoing active treatment, while 1,947 participants completed treatment.<\/p>\n

Characteristics of Effective Exercise Programs<\/p>\n

Combined aerobic and resistance training with progressive overload
\nAerobic exercise: Walking, cycling, or treadmill exercise at 50\u201385% of maximum heart rate (HRmax)
\nResistance training: Approximately 60% of 1-RM for the upper body and 80% of 1-RM for the lower body
\nDuring active treatment: Programs typically lasted 12 weeks
\nAfter treatment: Longer-duration programs with 2\u20133 combined aerobic and resistance training sessions per week<\/p>\n

During Active Treatment<\/p>\n

Reduced cancer-related fatigue
\nImproved physical fitness (12-minute walk test performance)
\nNo significant changes in body weight or body mass index (BMI)<\/p>\n

After Treatment<\/p>\n

Reduced cancer-related fatigue
\nImproved body composition (increased lean body mass and reduced fat mass, body fat percentage, and waist circumference)
\nImproved cardiometabolic and inflammatory biomarkers (reduced IL-6, LDL, fasting glucose, systolic and diastolic blood pressure, and increased HDL)
\nNo significant improvements in cardiorespiratory fitness (VO\u2082max), handgrip strength, or fasting insulin<\/p>\n

These results support the implementation of stage-specific, individualized exercise prescriptions that prioritize symptom management and functional preservation during active treatment while emphasizing metabolic health, cardiovascular risk reduction, and long-term survivorship following treatment completion.<\/p>\n

Toward Precision Exercise Oncology<\/p>\n

Exercise should be integrated as a foundational component of supportive care for individuals with breast cancer.
\nExercise prescriptions should be individualized based on treatment phase, treatment-related toxicities, functional capacity, comorbidities, and survivorship goals.
\nDuring active treatment: Focus on symptom management, preserving physical function, maintaining treatment tolerance, and preventing functional decline. Low-to-moderate intensity combined aerobic and resistance exercise 1\u20132 times per week (20\u201340 minutes aerobic; 15\u201320 minutes resistance) is appropriate for most patients.
\nAfter treatment completion: Emphasize rehabilitation, improving body composition, cardiometabolic health, and long-term survivorship. Moderate-to-vigorous intensity combined aerobic and resistance exercise 2\u20133 times per week (30\u201360 minutes aerobic; 20\u201330 minutes resistance) appears most effective.<\/p>\n

The findings support the integration of exercise as a foundational component of evidence-based, precision supportive care across the breast cancer continuum while highlighting several priorities for future research and clinical implementation.<\/p>\n

Integrate exercise into routine care: Individualize exercise prescriptions based on treatment phase, functional status, and survivorship goals, and incorporate exercise into multidisciplinary breast cancer care pathways.
\nOptimize exercise prescriptions: Conduct randomized trials to determine the optimal exercise type, intensity, frequency, duration, timing, and dose across the breast cancer continuum.
\nAdvance biomarker research: Investigate the biological mechanisms of exercise using comprehensive biomarker profiling, including inflammatory, metabolic, immune, and emerging molecular biomarkers.
\nEvaluate long-term outcomes: Perform longitudinal studies assessing treatment toxicity, cardiovascular health, recurrence, survival, physical function, and quality of life using standardized exercise protocols and outcome measures.<\/p>\n

Reference<\/p>\n

Lee, J., Hwang, Y. The effects of exercise interventions on fatigue, body composition, physical fitness, and biomarkers in breast cancer patients during and after treatment: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. J Cancer Surviv 20, 1740\u20131768 (2025).<\/p>\n

Table 1. Summary of pooled effect estimates for exercise interventions during active treatment and post-treatment survivorship in breast cancer.<\/p>\n

Outcome
\nDuring Active Treatment
\nPost-Treatment<\/p>\n

Fatigue
\nSignificant reduction (9 studies; d = \u22120.20, 95% CI: \u22120.32 to \u22120.08; p < 0.001)
\nSignificant reduction (4 studies; d = \u22121.11, 95% CI: \u22121.36 to \u22120.85; p < 0.001)<\/p>\n

Body mass index (BMI)
\nNo significant change (3 studies; d = \u22120.17, 95% CI: \u22120.35 to 0.01; p = 0.07)
\nNot assessed<\/p>\n

Body weight
\nNo significant change (4 studies; d = \u22120.10, 95% CI: \u22120.27 to 0.06; p = 0.22)
\nNot assessed<\/p>\n

Lean body mass
\nNot assessed
\nSignificant increase (2 studies; d = 1.27, 95% CI: 0.96 to 1.59; p < 0.001)<\/p>\n

Fat mass
\nNot assessed
\nSignificant reduction (2 studies; d = \u22121.33, 95% CI: \u22121.67 to \u22120.99; p < 0.001)<\/p>\n

Body fat (%)
\nNot assessed
\nSignificant reduction (2 studies; d = \u22121.22, 95% CI: \u22121.57 to \u22120.88; p < 0.001)<\/p>\n

Waist circumference
\nNot assessed
\nSignificant reduction (4 studies; d = \u22120.69, 95% CI: \u22120.97 to \u22120.42; p < 0.001)<\/p>\n

Physical fitness
\nSignificant improvement in 12-minute walk test (3 studies; d = \u22120.29, 95% CI: \u22120.52 to \u22120.06; p = 0.01)
\nNo significant effect on VO\u2082max (d = 0.25, 95% CI: \u22120.05 to 0.55; p = 0.10) or handgrip strength (d = \u22120.05, 95% CI: \u22120.28 to 0.18; p = 0.69)<\/p>\n

Inflammatory biomarkers
\nNot assessed
\nSignificant reduction in IL-6 (d = \u22120.95, 95% CI: \u22121.31 to \u22120.59; p < 0.001)<\/p>\n

Lipid biomarkers
\nNot assessed
\nSignificant increase in HDL (d = 2.16, 95% CI: 1.80 to 2.52; p < 0.001) and significant reduction in LDL (d = \u22121.49, 95% CI: \u22121.89 to \u22121.08; p < 0.001)<\/p>\n

Metabolic biomarkers
\nNot assessed
\nSignificant reduction in glucose (d = \u22120.66, 95% CI: \u22121.20 to \u22120.13; p < 0.001); no significant effect on insulin (d = 0.24, 95% CI: \u22120.04 to 0.52; p = 0.10)<\/p>\n

Blood pressure
\nNot assessed
\nSignificant reductions in systolic blood pressure (SBP; d = \u22121.23, 95% CI: \u22121.50 to \u22120.95; p < 0.001) and diastolic blood pressure (DBP; d = \u22120.87, 95% CI: \u22121.21 to \u22120.53; p < 0.001)<\/p>\n

You can also read: Muna Al-Khaifi: Lifestyle Programs and Cardiometabolic Health in Cancer Survivors<\/a><\/p>\n

\"Muna<\/a><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Muna Al-Khaifi, GP Oncologist at\u00a0Mount Sinai Hospital (Toronto),\u00a0Sinai Health.\u00a0This article summarizes the systematic review and meta-analysis by Lee…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":580783,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[103,61,60],"class_list":["post-580782","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-health","tag-health","tag-ie","tag-ireland"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/580782","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=580782"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/580782\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/580783"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=580782"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=580782"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=580782"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}