Exercise issues in older cancer survivors

Kerry S. Courneya, Jeffrey K.H. Vallance, Margaret L. McNeely, Kristina H. Karvinen, Carolyn J. Peddle, John R. Mackey

    Research output: Contribution to journalReview articlepeer-review

    64 Citations (Scopus)

    Abstract

    Older cancer survivors experience the combined deleterious effects associated with aging and a cancer diagnosis. The purpose of the present paper is to review the potential role of physical exercise in attenuating the effects of cancer and its treatments in older cancer survivors. Noting the limited direct research on exercise in older cancer survivors, we review the literature on: (a) older adults in general; and (b) cancer survivors in general. We conclude that although there is limited direct evidence on the benefits of exercise in older cancer survivors, there is compelling evidence of the benefits of exercise in cancer survivors in general and other older populations. We also conclude that exercise adherence will be a significant challenge in this population. Based on this evidence, we tentatively recommend exercise to older cancer survivors using the American College of Sports Medicine's [Med Sci Sports Exerc 30 (6) (1998) 992] guidelines for older adults in general. Finally, we offer future research directions that will provide important evidence needed to guide clinical decisions about exercise in older cancer survivors.

    Original languageEnglish
    Pages (from-to)249-261
    Number of pages13
    JournalCritical Reviews in Oncology/Hematology
    Volume51
    Issue number3
    DOIs
    Publication statusPublished - Sep. 2004

    Keywords

    • Aging
    • Cancer diagnosis
    • Older cancer survivors

    Fingerprint

    Dive into the research topics of 'Exercise issues in older cancer survivors'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

    Cite this