{"id":10947,"date":"2024-03-04T06:00:18","date_gmt":"2024-03-04T05:00:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.bmj.com\/bjsm\/?p=10947"},"modified":"2024-03-03T06:52:19","modified_gmt":"2024-03-03T05:52:19","slug":"exercise-during-cancer-treatment-a-key-factor-in-reducing-hospitalization","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.bmj.com\/bjsm\/2024\/03\/04\/exercise-during-cancer-treatment-a-key-factor-in-reducing-hospitalization\/","title":{"rendered":"Exercise During Cancer Treatment: A Key Factor in Reducing Hospitalization"},"content":{"rendered":"

Authors<\/strong>: David Mizrahi, Jonathan Lai, Hayley Wareing, Yi Ren, Tong Li, Christopher Swain, David Smith, Diana Adams, Alexandra Martiniuk, Michael David<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

In this blog post, we explore the impact of exercise on hospitalization rates during cancer treatment, shedding light on the potential benefits for both patients and health systems. <\/span>Our recent study<\/span><\/a>, published in BJSM, delves into evidence from various studies providing exercise programs to patients undergoing chemotherapy, radiotherapy, or stem cell transplant protocols. We quantify how exercise reduces the risk of hospital admission and calculate the corresponding decrease in days spent admitted.<\/span><\/p>\n

Why is this study important?<\/h4>\n

Exercise has demonstrated its ability to enhance the quality of life, functional capacity, cardiorespiratory fitness, and reduce symptom burden in cancer patients. However, few studies have investigated its impact on clinical outcomes such as hospitalization rates. This is crucial as patients with lower fitness levels and strength may experience increased toxicity and adverse events, leading to extended and costly hospital stays, potentially resulting in worse clinical outcomes.<\/span><\/p>\n

The exercise oncology field has rapidly gained recognition in recent years, with numerous organizations promoting exercise and physical activity during and after cancer treatment. Despite this, most cancer centers do not offer exercise programs, leaving patients with low levels of exercise and presenting a clear gap in care. Our study contributes to the expanding exercise oncology literature by quantifying the benefits of exercising during cancer treatment on both the rate and length of hospital admissions.<\/span><\/p>\n

How did the study go about this?<\/h4>\n

Our approach involved a performing a systematic review and meta-analysis of published articles from four medical databases. We compared hospital length of stay in studies that randomized patients to received exercise programs, which was compared to those who did not receive exercise guidance.<\/span><\/p>\n

What did the study find?<\/h4>\n

Our study, encompassing twenty studies and 2,635 participants across various cancer types (mostly blood, breast and colorectal), revealed that structured exercise during cancer treatment:<\/span><\/p>\n