In a new study led by neuroscientist Emmie Koevoets, it has been discovered that an exercise program could provide numerous benefits for women who are experiencing side effects years after their breast cancer treatment.
These side effects often include fatigue, cognitive issues, and a lack of physical fitness.
For this study, 181 women who had been treated with chemotherapy two to four years ago and were still struggling with cognitive difficulties were selected.
They were randomly divided into two groups: one that participated in an exercise program and a control group that did not.
The exercise group engaged in fitness and strength training as well as Nordic or power walking every week for six months.
Koevoets conducted neuropsychological tests, made MRI scans of the participants’ brains, performed exercise tests, and drew blood from the participants.
The women were also asked to self-report any noticed effects through questionnaires on cognitive complaints, fatigue, anxiety, depression, and quality of life.
Findings
While Koevoets found no measurable positive effects of the training on cognitive functioning in the neuropsychological tests, the physical fitness of the exercise group improved compared to the control group.
Notably, participants in the exercise group reported cognitive improvements and experienced less fatigue and depression. In addition, they reported that their overall quality of life had improved.
In terms of brain structure, the exercise program did not show any effect on the volume of the brain or the white matter pathways.
However, for the group that experienced high levels of fatigue, beneficial effects of the exercise program were observed.
These included improvements in their memory and speed of information processing, as well as a decrease in brain volume that resulted in better memory function and a change in the quality of white matter pathways.
Conclusion
Even though the exercise program did not lead to an overall improvement in the cognitive functions tested, it did bring about numerous other benefits.
Participants in the exercise group reported fewer cognitive complaints, an increase in fitness, and cognitive improvements in those experiencing high levels of fatigue.
Given these findings, Koevoets suggests repeating the study among women with fatigue symptoms to validate the results.
This could potentially aid other patients who are experiencing similar long-term side effects from breast cancer treatment.
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