Lee Colker powered on an iPad in the basement of his Pittsburgh home and logged into a virtual exercise session with Olivia Masten, a trainer who specializes in working with cancer patients. Mr. Colker, 66, had been dealing with unpredictable fatigue and brain fog since beginning a clinical trial for metastatic kidney cancer this year. When staff at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center told him an exercise program could improve his energy, he jumped at the opportunity. "That was a clincher for me," he said.
The program is part of a growing effort around the country to help cancer patients exercise, as the benefits become increasingly clear. A landmark randomized controlled trial showed that colon cancer patients who participated in a structured exercise program over three years were less likely to see their cancers come back. Among those in the program, 90 percent were alive after eight years, compared with 83 percent in the control group. A later study showed the program, which cost $3,000 per person, also saved the health system money — "a home run," said Dr. Scott Ramsey, a cancer researcher at the Fred Hutch Cancer Center.
"If we had a drug with this magnitude of benefit, it would immediately become standard of care and funded" by insurance companies, said Dr. Christopher Booth, an oncologist at Queen's University and the leader of the exercise trial. While guidelines recommend oncologists help colon cancer patients achieve 150 minutes of exercise per week, there is no insurance pathway to pay for these programs. Current programs are largely limited to major cancer centers and dependent on philanthropy, leaving poorer patients without access.
"Exercise is not just biology. It is also behavior," said Kathryn Schmitz, an exercise oncology researcher at U.P.M.C. Hillman Cancer Center. She is the founding director of Moving Through Cancer, the program in which Mr. Colker is participating. The program is tailored to each patient, with some needing more support while others are well enough to play pickleball.
Source: New York Times Top Stories · Summarized by HeadlinesBriefing