Physical exercise prevents nerve damage during chemotherapy

Cancer treatments often cause nerve damage that can lead to long-lasting symptoms. Medication has proven ineffective in these cases. A sports scientist at the University of Basel, together with an interdisciplinary team from Germany, has now shown that simple exercises can prevent nerve damage.

Unfortunately, many cancer medications, from chemotherapy to modern immunotherapies, attack the nerves as well as the tumor cells. Some therapies, such as oxaliplatin or vinca alkaloids, leave 70 to 90 percent of patients complaining of pain, balance issues, or feelings of numbness, burning or tingling. These symptoms can be very debilitating. They can disappear following cancer treatment, but in around 50 percent they become chronic.

Regular examinations over the next five years showed that in the control group around twice as many participants developed CIPN as in either of the exercise groups. In other words, the exercises undertaken alongside chemotherapy were able to reduce the incidence of nerve damage by 50 to 70 percent.

"The potential of physical activity is hugely underestimated," says Fiona Streckmann. She very much hopes that the results of the newly published study will lead to more sports therapists being employed in hospitals, in order to better exploit this potential.Fiona Streckmann, Thomas Elter, Helmar C.

Health Health Latest News, Health Health Headlines

Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.

Immunosuppressives Unlikely to Raise Cancer Risk in IBD Patients With Prior CancerThe findings add to a growing body of literature supporting the relative safety of immunosuppressive therapy to treat IBD in patients who have a history of cancer.
Source: Medscape - 🏆 386. / 55 Read more »

Director, Office of Cancer Centers - Bethesda, Maryland (US) job with National Cancer InstituteDirector, Office of Cancer Centers Office of the Director National Cancer Institute National Institutes of Health Department of Health and Human Services The Person: The National Cancer Institute (NCI), the largest research component of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) within the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS), seeks...
Source: Nature - 🏆 64. / 68 Read more »

Cancer Biology Postdoctoral Fellow - Tampa, Florida job with Moffitt Cancer CenterAt Moffitt Cancer Center, we strive to be the leader in understanding the complexity of cancer and applying these insights to contribute to the prevention and cure of cancer. Our diverse team of over 9,000 are dedicated to serving our patients and creating a workspace where every individual is recognized and appreciated.
Source: Nature - 🏆 64. / 68 Read more »

Cancer’s Molecular Achilles Heel: Key to Improving Cancer Treatments DiscoveredScience, Space and Technology News 2024
Source: SciTechDaily1 - 🏆 84. / 68 Read more »

Immunotherapy to treat cancer gave rise to 2nd cancer in extremely rare caseMiriam Bergeret is a science writer and editor based in Toronto, Canada. Miriam holds a master's degree in laboratory medicine and pathobiology from the University of Toronto, where she also studied science journalism and communication.
Source: LiveScience - 🏆 538. / 51 Read more »