Pedro Lopez, Honorary Senior Research Fellow at the Institute for Respiratory Health, Associate Professor at the University of Caxias do Sul, and Adjunct Lecturer at Edith Cowan University, shared a post on LinkedIn:
“New Research Alert: Do Combined Exercise Programs Cause an Interference Effect in Breast Cancer?
Our latest systematic review and network meta-analysis, published in Sports Medicine, examined whether combining resistance and aerobic exercise affects exercise adaptations in women with breast cancer.
What we found:
Across 116 randomised controlled trials involving 9,206 women, we compared resistance exercise alone, aerobic exercise alone, and combined programs.
Resistance exercise alone produced the greatest improvements in:
• Muscle strength
• Lean mass
Combined exercise (strength + aerobic) also improved fatigue and physical function, but in some cases showed smaller gains in muscle mass and strength compared with resistance training alone.
For fatigue and physical function, resistance and combined exercise programs showed similar overall benefits, although resistance training tended to perform better during certain treatments such as chemotherapy and hormone therapy.
Why this matters:
Exercise is a cornerstone of supportive cancer care, but the optimal exercise strategy depends on treatment stage and patient goals. If the priority is preserving or increasing muscle mass and strength, resistance exercise alone may be the most effective approach. Combined exercise remains a valuable strategy when broader fitness improvements are desired.
If you work in exercise oncology, rehabilitation, physiotherapy or clinical exercise prescription, these findings reinforce the importance of targeted and individualised exercise programs for women with breast cancer.
Thanks to Regis Radaelli, Anderson Rech, Maria Petropoulou, Francesco Bettariga, Favil Singh, Talita Molinari, Caroline B Silveira, Cindranne T. Muller and Priscila Casara for all the support!”
Title: Do Combined Resistance and Aerobic Exercise Programs Cause an Interference Effect in Women with Breast Cancer? A Systematic Review and Network Meta‑analysis
Authors: Pedro Lopez, Anderson Rech, Maria Petropoulou, Caroline B. Silveira, Talita Molinari, Cindranne Torres Muller, Priscila Casara, Francesco Bettariga, Favil Singh, Régis Radaelli
Scott Capozza, Physical Therapist at Yale University, shared a post by Pedro Lopez, adding:
“It’s not just enough to tell our patients with cancer to ‘go for a walk’ or ‘sure, you can go back to the gym’…especially if they justifiably feel like their bodies have betrayed them.
Exercise and rehabilitation prescription needs to be individualized based on stage of treatment, patient report of advert effects, and patient goals.”
Other articles about Exercise in Cancer on OncoDaily.
