Effects Of Exercise Prescription On Cancer-Related Fatigue In Breast Cancer Patients

Purpose: Cancer-Related Fatigue (CRF) is characterized by subject feelings of tension, distress which is caused by a consequence of the cancer itself and as a side effect of cancer treatment. The condition is fast and heavy and energy consumption is larger . CRF which influenced patients' self-care ability, nurtures and quality of life is not relieved by rest or sleep. Fatigue has been acknowledged as a symptom that is the most important and not easy cure. Most studies had confirmed that exercise can improve the symptoms of fatigue effectively. Breast cancer patients' exercise tolerance is lower and the level of fatigue is difference. So we should make good use of exercise prescription and be sure the exercise treatments safe and effective. Citing the concept of exercise prescription in physiology to guide breast cancers to do organized exercise and observe all indexes in order to investigate the effects of exercise prescription on cancer-related fatigue in breast cancer patients and to provide the evidence and effective methods for improving breast cancer's fatigue and quality of life.Contents and methods: 120 breast cancer survivors were randomly assigned to an exercise (n =60) or control group (n =60). All the breast cancer survivors were not treated with special interventions that can improve CRF before exercise intervention. The control group only received usual care, and the exercise group also trained with regular aerobic exercise for 8 wk from the first week after operation. The CRF was evaluated in all subjects. The contents not only included the scales of fatigue and quality of life but physical ability such as cardiovascular function, blood pressure, vital capacity, grip strength. All test procedures were conducted four times: at admission to hospital, the first, fifth, and ninth week after operation.Results: The CRF was significantly reduced and the recovery capability of cardiovascular function was improved obviously in the exercise group in the fifth week and the ninth week after operation, however, not in the control group. The blood pressure was lower compared with the control group. Quality of life were significantly improving after exercise intervention; there was not significantly difference about grip strength. Conclusion: Structured physical training can effectively improve symptoms of chronic fatigue, cardiovascular function and cut down blood pressure in breast cancer patients. then their quality of life can be improved significantly. Different patients should use different exercise prescription. Nurses should make use of suitable exercise content, intensity, frequency and duration according to information of breast cancer patients in order to improve symptom of fatigue and patient's quality of life. All nurses should learn the theory of kinematics and guide patients to do scientific exercise.