Exercise for Advanced Cancers
Learn about exercise for advanced cancers in this guide from The ONE Group (Oncology – Nutrition – Exercise) at Penn State College of Medicine.
What you should know
What is advanced cancer?
Advanced cancer is cancer that is stage 3 or 4.
This means that even with treatment, the cancer may not completely go away.
For some people, the cancer may already be advanced when they first learn they have it.
For others, the cancer may not become advanced until years after being diagnosed.
Metastatic and locally advanced cancers
Advanced cancers can be either metastatic or local.
Metastatic advanced cancer is when the cancer begins to spread to the rest of the body.
Locally advanced cancer is when the cancer has grown, but has not spread to different parts of the body.
What you can do: Improving your symptoms
Why treat advanced cancer?
Shrink the cancer
Slow its growth
Help relieve symptoms
Help you live longer
Possible benefits of exercise for advanced cancer patients
Improve symptoms
Increase quality of life
Enhance movement
Release stress and anxiety
Increase enjoyment
Help create better bonds if exercising with others
Reduce fatigue
Improve sleep
Improve bone health
Improve physical function
Exercises
Walking
Standing calf raises
Sit-and-stands
Seated hip marches
Cat-cow stretch
How to do seated hip marches
Try 10 of each per leg; rest, then repeat. You can do these every day.
Step 1: Sit in a chair with your feet shoulder-width apart.
Step 2: Hold the edges of the armrest.
Step 3: With your knee bent, lift your right leg up.
Step 4: Put your right leg back on the floor.
Step 5: Repeat with opposite leg.
How to do sit-and-stands
Try 10 of these; rest, then repeat. You can do these every day.Step 1: Start by sitting in a chair.
Step 2: Without using your hands for support, stand up.
Step 3: Sit back down.
Step 4: Repeat.
Notes
Contact your physician if:
You begin to feel pain when exercising.
You are dizzy or pass out while exercising.
You fall while exercising.
References
American Cancer Society
National Cancer Institute