Advanced cancer patients can benefit from exercise and nutrition

Advanced cancer patients can benefit from exercise and nutrition

21 Jul 2014

Patients with advanced cancer can benefit from exercise, nutritional counselling & symptom control, according to evidence within a recently published study.

Palliative care programs should be expanded to include these elements and should be available to patients from diagnosis.

 

 

Few programs include patients with advanced cancer

Programs for people with earlier stage cancer combine diet and exercise, but few programs include patients with advanced cancer.

"Cancer rehabilitation is a process that assists a person with a cancer diagnosis to obtain optimal physical, social, psychological and vocational functioning within the limits created by the disease and its treatment," write Dr. Martin Chasen, Division of Palliative Care, Élisabeth-Bruyère Hospital, Ottawa, Ontario, with coauthors.

Evidence from rehabilitation programs at several Canadian hospitals show improvement in fatigue and physical endurance, symptom alleviation, mood and quality of life after embarking on specialized nutritional and exercise regimens. The Jewish General Hospital and the Royal Victoria Hospital in Montreal, Quebec and Élisabeth-Bruyère Hospital, Ottawa, operate rehabilitation programs and have reported on patient outcomes.

Psychology, nutrition, physical activity, symptoms: they affect disease and response to therapy

"When caring for patients, we may limit our horizons if we fail to recognize the influence of their psychological state, nutrition, physical activity, symptoms and functional status on their disease and response to therapy," write the authors. "A truly comprehensive care program will incorporate elements that address each of these aspects."

They suggest that cancer centers should add rehabilitation services as part of the ongoing care of patients with advanced cancer.

"We propose that current evidence and community expectations are sufficient to encourage Canadian cancer centers to consider establishing full rehabilitation research models for patients with advanced cancer," the authors conclude.

 

Source: Science Daily