Cancer
Questions patients ask
What comes up in the first conversation.
I finished treatment two years ago and still feel wrecked. Is it too late?
No. Persistent fatigue and deconditioning years after treatment respond to structured exercise, and many people have simply never been offered a programme. It is one of the more rewarding groups to treat because the gains are often large.
Is my cancer a reason you would refuse me?
Type of cancer rarely is. What matters is your current medical stability, blood counts, whether there are bone lesions and what your oncology team advises. Those questions are answered from the records before you travel.
I am having palliative treatment. Is rehabilitation appropriate?
Often yes, with different goals: comfort, independence in daily tasks, staying mobile, reducing the burden on the person caring for you. It is one of the settings where a small functional gain matters most.
Will exercise spread the cancer?
No. There is no evidence that exercise promotes cancer spread, and international guidance recommends it during and after treatment. The concern is understandable and it is not supported.
I have lost a lot of weight and muscle. Should I build up first?
They are done together. Nutritional assessment runs alongside the training, because resistance training without adequate protein does not build muscle, and eating more without training does not either.
Sources
- Exercise Guidelines for Cancer Survivors: Consensus Statement from International Multidisciplinary Roundtable — Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise (American College of Sports Medicine) (2019)
- Exercise Recommendation for People With Bone Metastases: Expert Consensus for Health Care Providers and Exercise Professionals — JCO Oncology Practice (2022)
- Translating 2019 ACSM Cancer Exercise Recommendations for a Physiatric Practice: Derived Recommendations from an International Expert Panel — PM&R (2022)
