Practicing regular physical activity has health benefits. According to a study published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine, practicing sports during youth can reduce the risk of developing nine types of cancer by 42%. Around 40% of cancer cases are preventable by addressing certain risk factors including tobacco, alcohol consumption, diet, insufficient physical activity, etc.
What about the practice of a sporting activity for cancer patients? Quoted by La Dépêche, Doctor Nathalie Caunes-Hilary, medical oncologist and head of the supportive care department at the IUCT-Oncopole in Toulouse, recalls the importance of sports practice in the context of cancer treatment: “It’s a reality: the less we move, the more we become deconditioned on a physical, cardio-respiratory and musculoskeletal level. However, practicing appropriate physical activity before and during treatments, on the contrary, reduces fatigue and possible side effects, notably nausea, observes the specialist. The conclusions of a study carried out with patients enrolled in the sports therapy program at IUCT-Oncopole report that 67% of them feel less tired and tolerate treatments better.
The importance of sporting activity
Dr Nathalie Caunes-Hilary also specifies that doing sport also has a benefit against recurrence: “Moving also reduces the risk of recurrence of certain cancers in quite spectacular proportions – from 30 to 35% for breast cancer, 25% for colon cancer for example. Most breast cancers are hormonally dependent and anything that – like sport – promotes a drop in estrogen in the blood reduces the risk of relapses.“.
According to figures published by the Cancer Research Foundation, “practicing physical activity after diagnosis of breast cancer reduces the risk of recurrence by 24%, and the risk of death from cancer by 28%. The latter is reduced by 39% after diagnosis of colorectal cancer“.
In the case of breast cancer, sports that use the arms are particularly appreciated, for colon cancer, it is recommended to opt for physical activity that promotes transit.
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