Sami (Papacek) Mansfield: The bigger picture of the role of exercise and physical activity in breast cancer patients

Sami (Papacek) Mansfield, Founder of Cancer Wellness for Life and also a Chair of Cancer Member Interest Group at the American College of Lifestyle Medicine, reshared a post by Robert Newton, Professor of Exercise Medicine at Edith Cowan University, on LinkedIn, adding:

“Did you know most breast cancer patients start exercising to lose weight, but they miss out on the bigger picture of the role of exercise and physical activity.

We’ve come a long way from recommending rest or light walking for patients with breast cancer.

An excellent RCT highlights the comparison between Resistance Training (RT) and High-Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) for improving patient outcomes.

Key findings:

• Both RT and HIIT improved body composition, physical fitness, and quality of life (QoL) over 12 weeks.
• Mode-specific benefits were clear:
• RT led to more lean mass gains and muscle strength improvements.
• HIIT was linked to greater reductions in fat mass and improved cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF).

These findings underscore the importance of tailored exercise programs that meet the specific health needs of each patient.
A critical point to address:

While many breast cancer patients focus on weight loss as the primary goal of exercise, we must do a better job of educating about the role of building skeletal muscle mass. It’s not just about the number on the scale—it’s about improving body composition, supporting long-term weight management, and enhancing overall health.

As Exercise Oncology professionals, it’s crucial to have shared, collaborative conversations with patients about incorporating both modalities into their weekly exercise regimen.

My personal recommendation:

• An approach that includes both RT and HIIT each week. Ideally 2x each plus an emphasis on adequate protein intake.

I would love to hear from others- What are your thoughts on integrating these modalities into practice?

Thank you Robert Newton for making sure this hit my feed!”

Quoting Robert Newton‘s article by Francesco Bettariga on LinkedIn:

“First paper from a randomized trial of RT vs HIIT led by Exercise Medicine Research Institute PhD candidate Francesco Bettariga.

Highly specific adaptations in survivors of breast cancer emphasizing importance of targeted exercise prescription to address priority health issues.”

Effects of resistance training vs high intensity interval training on body composition, muscle strength, cardiorespiratory fitness, and quality of life in survivors of breast cancer: a randomized trial.

Authors: Francesco Bettariga, et al.

Sami (Papacek) Mansfield is the founder of Cancer Wellness for Life. She’s been a certified cancer exercise specialist since 2003 and has dedicated her career to implementing evidence-based lifestyle education, resources and tools into cancer care for both the patients and the providers. She is also a Chair of Cancer Member Interest Group, at the American College of Lifestyle Medicine and Breast Cancer Taskforce Co-Chair at Colorado Cancer Coalition. 

Robert Newton is a Professor of Exercise Medicine at Edith Cowan University. His research explores exercise medicine as a neoadjuvant, adjuvant, and rehabilitative therapy in cancer treatment to reduce side effects and improve effectiveness, while also maintaining patients’ quality of life, strength, and function. Additionally, he holds honorary professorships at the University of Queensland’s School of Human Movement and Nutrition Sciences and at The University of Hong Kong.