Table 4.
Exercise prescription guidelines for cancer patients
| Patient characteristics (examples) | Goal of exercise | Initial prescription | Exercise progression |
|---|---|---|---|
| General (patients following the completion of adjuvant therapy for localised disease presenting with no overt underlying comorbid disease) | To improve all components of the oxygen cascade | Frequency: 3–5 days/week Intensity:* light to moderate Type: aerobic endurance Time: 20–40min/session |
Frequency: 4–6 days/week Intensity:* light to vigorous Type: aerobic endurance, interval training and resistance Time: ~30–60min/session |
| Cardiovascular limitation (patients presenting with chemotherapy-induced LV dysfunction and/or anaemia) | Improved LV filling and relaxation, enhanced LV compliance, improvement in endothelial function, and decreased arterial stiffness | Frequency: 3 days/week Intensity:* light to moderate Type: aerobic endurance Time: ~20–30min/session |
Frequency: 3–5 days/week Intensity:* moderate Type: aerobic Time: ~20–60min/session |
| Respiratory limitation (patients following pulmonary resection with concomitant COPD) | Reduced ventilatory demand and dyspnoea, with favourable skeletal muscle adaptations | Frequency: 3–4 days/week Intensity:* light to moderate Type: aerobic endurance and resistance Time: >20min/session |
Frequency: 4–5 days/week Intensity:* moderate to vigorous Type: aerobic endurance, interval and resistance Time: ~20–60min/session |
| Peripheral limitation (patients presenting with tumour and/or treatment-induced cachexia or muscle atrophy) | Increased muscle mass and aerobic enzymes, and improved fibre type transition and oxidative metabolism | Frequency: 3 days/week Intensity:‡ light to moderate Type: resistance Time: 20–30min/session |
Frequency: >3 days/week Intensity:‡ moderate Type: resistance and aerobic Time: ~20–60min/session |
*
Relative intensities guideline for aerobic endurance training: light (light effort, normal or slight breathing, 40–50% of measured heart rate maximum or VO2peak); moderate (moderate effort, elevated breathing, 50–70% of measured heart rate maximum or VO2peak); vigorous (hard effort, greater breathing, >70% of measured heart rate maximum or VO2peak).
‡
Relative intensities guideline for resistance training: light (50–60% of measured one repetition maximum), moderate (60–80% of measured one repetition maximum), and hard (>80% of measured one repetition maximum).63
Abbreviations: COPD, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease; LV, left ventricular; VO2peak, peak oxygen consumption.