March 20, 2024, Wednesday (HealthDay News) — According to a recent study, exercise can help women manage the challenges of advanced breast cancer more effectively.

Researchers presented their findings today at the European Breast Cancer Conference in Milan, Italy. Patients who participated in a regular exercise program reported less pain and fatigue as well as an improved quality of life.

The results indicate that exercise should be recommended to patients whose breast cancer has spread, according to researcher Anouk Hiensch, an assistant professor of epidemiology and health economics at University Medical Center Utrecht in the Netherlands.

According to a news release from Hiensch, “patients with metastatic cancer often undergo continuous treatment that aims to prolong their life.”

“Many patients with metastatic cancer live longer because of these treatments, but over time, many also report a declining quality of life,” he continued. “Therefore, we require supportive care techniques that improve these patients’ quality of life, like exercise.”

In this investigation, eight cancer centers located in Germany, Poland, Spain, Sweden, the Netherlands, and Australia enrolled 357 patients suffering from advanced breast cancer. They were 55 years old on average.

While the other half received standard cancer care, the other half was randomly assigned to a nine-month exercise program in addition to cancer therapy.

The exercise group followed a customized training plan that included resistance, aerobic, and balance exercises and worked out twice a week. Additionally, patients in both groups were urged to engage in physical activity for at least 30 minutes each day.

Women under 50 and those with the greatest initial pain experienced the largest improvements, according to the researchers.

According to Hiensch, the researchers believe that a contributing factor in this improvement was exercise’s ability to lower inflammation.

“In light of these results, we suggest supervised exercise as a part of standard care for all patients with metastatic breast cancer, especially those who are in pain,” Hiensch stated. “Exercise was beneficial for older patients as well, but the program may need to be adjusted further to make it as effective for them as it was for younger patients.”

The researchers found that the biggest improvements were experienced by women under 50 and those who had experienced the most initial pain.

Hiensch says the researchers think that exercise’s capacity to reduce inflammation played a part in this improvement.

“Given these findings, we recommend supervised exercise as a component of routine care for all patients with metastatic breast cancer, particularly those experiencing discomfort,” Hiensch said. While older patients benefited from exercise as well, the program may need to be modified further to ensure that older patients receive the same benefits as younger patients.

Ignatiadis, a medical oncologist at the Jules Bordet Institute in Brussels, Belgium, continued, “People with metastatic cancer cannot always be cured of their disease but they can live for many months or years, so ensuring they have the best possible quality of life is absolutely vital.” He did not participate in the research.

Until they are published in a peer-reviewed journal, findings presented at a medical meeting should be regarded as preliminary.