The Hope Foundation for Cancer Care has prescribed exercise for people with cancer to cultivate healthy habits and enhance quality of life.
As the government is aiming for a one-third decrease in the cancer mortality rate by 2030, the foundation said on Thursday that an “exercise prescription” is needed to help people cope with the side effects caused by cancer treatments.
The foundation said its “Exercise Prescription for Cancer Care” program has served 175 people over the past two years, of which 75 percent reported enhanced stamina and 85 percent maintained an exercise habit.
Photo: Lin Chih-yi, Taipei Times
The five-year relative survival rate for all cancers in Taiwan has progressed from 40.7 percent in 2006 to 62.1 percent in 2021, while the focus of cancer treatments has shifted from eradicating fatal cancer cells to recovery from the disease, the Ministry of Health and Welfare said.
The American Cancer Society’s CA journal published an article titled “Exercise Is Medicine in Oncology” in 2019, promoting the incorporation of exercise prescriptions into cancer therapeutic plans to prevent and treat the various health-related outcomes of cancers by improving patients’ physical activity, Taipei Medical University Hospital’s Division of Hematology and Oncology doctor Hsieh Cheng-i (謝政毅) said.
The research showed that exercise could help people with cancer by improving anxiety, depression, fatigue, lymphedema, physical functions and quality of life, as well as enhancing bone health and sleep quality, he said, adding that a good exercise habit helps prepare them for the return to a normal lifestyle.
Hsieh said that the National Comprehensive Cancer Network suggests doing 150 minutes of medium-intensity exercise and 75 minutes of high-intensity exercise per week, but a survey conducted by the foundation with Kaohsiung Medical University last year showed that 83 percent of people only do low-intensity exercises.
The survey showed that 41 percent of patients were motivated by medical staff or sports coaches to exercise, but most of them would just do an exercise of any intensity for no more than 30 minutes, one to two times per week, while 44 percent said adverse side effects from cancer treatments, such as nausea, pain and fatigue, prevented them from exercising.
Most patients (79.2 percent) said they preferred to take a walk, but such a low-intensity exercise, where one can talk effortlessly while doing the exercise, might not be enough to improve their physical condition, Hsieh said, citing the survey.
Physical therapist Lin Chao-yin (林昭印) said exercise prescriptions are needed as many patients have no idea how to choose a suitable exercise, who to consult for assistance or “when to start.”
Doctors, therapists and sports coaches can help create a complete exercise routine and provide immediate advice and assistance throughout the process, he said.
A complete exercise routine is made up of the warm-up, exercise and cooldown stages, while a complete exercise prescription should include details on the exercise mode, frequency, duration, intensity, training volume and rate of progression, sports coach Chasel Lin (林冠廷) said.
The goal is to improve physical fitness in terms of muscular strength and endurance, cardiorespiratory endurance, balance and agility, and achieve desired outcomes, he said.
Meanwhile, Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Wang Cheng-hsu (王正旭) said there are 800,000 cancer survivors in Taiwan and called on the government to integrate community resources from different fields, including sports centers and fitness trainers, to help facilitate their recovery.
The foundation has launched a certification program for professional coaches of exercise prescriptions. The 18 coaches trained can be found on its Web site.
Additional reporting by CNA
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