Exercise not only helps patients recover and feel better, it also increases the chances of survival, according to research at Edith Cowan

Exercise helps in a range of ways, says Prof Robert Newton, Director of ECU's Vario Institute of Health. Firstly, it reduces fatigue. Most patients report fatigue as the most debilitating aspect of their condition, says Prof Newton. While we might believe that resting will ease tiredness, the contrary is true and inactivity will make it worse, he says. People have a strong motivation to get better.

Participants of the Institute's Cancer Survivor Program are given a 20 week program designed specifically for cancer recovery. The program emphasises resistance training or working with weights, explains Prof Newton. A side effect of treatment is loss of muscle and bone mass and an increase in fat deposits so while resistance training is particularly good, any exercise is better than nothing, he points out.

While the thought of exercise might have some of us dragging our feet, the patients have a strong motivation to get better, says Prof Newton. People become nauseated with chemotherapy but find that, almost immediately, exercise reduces the nausea and people feel better. So because people can feel benefit straight away, it gives an added motivation, he says.

The ECU research has concentrated to far on breast cancer but exercise will work for all cancers, Prof Newton believes. One study on colorectal cancer patients showed a 50-60 per cent increase in survivability through exercise as part of the treatment. The Institute has also studied men recovering from prostrate cancer "and the men increased muscle markedly, they reported quality of life greatly improved and, in particular, their anxiety and stress about the disease was reduced", notes Prof Newton.

"You can't separate the two: mind and body. It's probably the increase in immune function which comes with being more relaxed and have less stress. Stress really interferes with your immune function and the ability to fight the disease and the ability to cope with the therapies," says Prof Newton.

"But there's also clear physical mechanisms at play here. Certainly the maintenance of muscle mass and the reduction in physical fatigue is a key aspect and outcome from physical exercise."

As more evidence is gathered, Prof Newton feels that exercise will be programmed in the same way as medication by GPs and oncologists and monitored in the same way. People listen to their doctors, he says and they have a strong motivation to get well.

"We have very strong evidence of a reduction in depression and once people can get over the hurdle of the decision to take the exercise, the positive benefit will provide the motivation to continue."

Children will benefit also, Prof Newton thinks, though the Institute has done no specific research on children. He says smiling that he doesn't know of any group of people that exercise doesn't benefit. "As a species, we are made for physical exercise and when we don't our bodies systems start to fail, to decline.