Muna Al-Khaifi, Lead of Breast Cancer Survivorship Program and GP oncologist, Skin Cancer Clinic at Sunnybrook, shared a post on LinkedIn:
“The Missing Prescription: Why Physical Activity Should Be Standard Cancer Care
Reframing physical activity as a core component of high-quality cancer care.
Physical activity is no longer simply a lifestyle recommendation in oncology. The evidence increasingly supports it as a core component of comprehensive, evidence-based cancer care across the entire cancer continuum.
The evidence is strong:
- Physically active individuals demonstrate approximately 10-20% lower overall cancer risk
- Cancer mortality is nearly 20% lower among active individuals
- Every additional 10 MET-hours/week of activity in breast cancer survivors is associated with an estimated 14% reduction in breast cancer mortality
- In the phase III CHALLENGE trial, structured exercise reduced recurrence/new cancers/death by 28% and reduced mortality risk by 37%
Beyond survival, exercise consistently improves:
- Fatigue
- Anxiety and depression
- Cardiorespiratory fitness
- Functional independence
- Treatment tolerance
- Recovery and quality of life
Importantly, cancer-related fatigue – one of the most common and distressing symptoms experienced by patients – has some of the strongest evidence supporting exercise as an effective intervention.
Yet despite this growing evidence base, implementation remains inconsistent across oncology care.
Here are my thoughts:
Physical activity should be introduced early, ideally prior to treatment initiation, as part of a prehabilitation strategy
- Exercise counseling should be embedded into routine oncology workflows rather than addressed opportunistically
- Clear ownership within the care team is essential to ensure consistency and accountability
- Referral pathways to physiotherapy, rehabilitation, and community-based exercise programs should become standard practice
- Recommendations must be individualized based on treatment phase, symptom burden, comorbidities, and patient goals
- Exercise should be prescribed with the same level of rigor and intention as other evidence-based therapies
Cancer survivorship care must go beyond just monitoring for recurrence and detection of the disease.
The future of oncology must be defined not only by how long patients live – but by how well they live.
Please share your thoughts on how to translate the evidence into practice.
Read the full article below and share.
Physical Activity and Improved Survival Outcomes in Oncology – Dr. Muna Al-Khaifi”
Other articles featuring Muna Al-Khaifi on OncoDaily.