“It gave me a sense of achievement and a sense of purpose”—a qualitative study of patient experiences of a virtually supervised exercise program for adults with advanced cancer and cachexia

Physical Activity in Patients with Advanced Cancer: Sociodemographic, Clinical, and Psychological Correlates

“…In our series, patients who engaged in some form of physical activity had better functional status, fewer symptoms, better quality of life, less psychological distress, and greater well-being. Consistent with other studies, patients with advanced cancer who engage in physical activity improve their functional status [ 5 , 32 , 35 ]. In a study in which a group physical activity program was implemented for patients, significant improvements were observed in functional and social roles [ 21 ].…”

“…Studies suggest that 60 to 90% of patients with advanced cancer experience fatigue [ 38 , 39 ], as well as other symptoms like pain, nausea, and dyspnea [ 39 , 40 ]. Consistent with other research, patients who engage in physical activity during treatment improve fatigue and decrease pain [ 5 , 12 , 35 ]. The performance of physical activity in patients in a palliative care setting improves pain, reduces fatigue, and improves appetite.…”

“…Furthermore, self-perceived patient decline was associated with lower physical activity. In a study conducted with patients with advanced cancer and worse perceived health status, the majority of patients expressed the need to engage in physical activity to feel better [ 16 , 35 ]. A total of 47% preferred to do it in a hospital setting and 36% preferred to split the location of physical activity between home and hospital [ 20 , 21 ].…”

“…However, not all studies find statistically significant differences. Some studies find a trend towards improvement without reaching significance between physical activity and functional status [ 5 , 35 ], and there are those who have not found differences in functional well-being in patients with advanced cancer [ 36 ]. This may be due to the fact that these are very fragile patients, and depending on the samples analyzed, they may be patients with significant functional deterioration related to treatment.…”

“…The performance of physical activity in patients in a palliative care setting improves pain, reduces fatigue, and improves appetite. Most studies indicate that there is an improvement in physical symptoms with the practice of physical activity, especially in the reduction of fatigue and pain, which are two of the most common symptoms that affect activity levels [ 4 , 5 , 35 ]. This is especially relevant when we consider that cancer-related fatigue negatively affects quality of life [ 39 , 41 ].…”