Abstract
Regular exercise improves physical function and quality of life and reduces fatigue in cancer survivors; these health benefits could be due to the anti-inflammatory effects of exercise. In this study we examined the effects of a whole-body exercise programme and dragon boat paddling on the production of reactive oxygen species (ROMs), antioxidant capacity (BAP) and the circulating levels of several interleukins in breast cancer patients. Thirty four women surgically treated for breast cancer were enrolled in this study: 20 of them usually row dragon boats recreationally while 14 were sedentary. The 16-week training programme consisted of resistance and aerobic exercise, with the addition of dragon boat paddling for the last 8 weeks. Analyses of ROMs, cytokines and BAP were performed before and after 16 weeks of training. Results show a significant decrease in the ROMs value and significantly increased the BAP, IL-6, IL-8 and IL-15 levels. Exercise increased the BAP, IL-6, IL-8 and IL-15 values in the N+ patients, whereas only IL-6 and IL-8 were higher in the N0 patients. We demonstrated that muscle-derived cytokines are released after a training program and that the resulting decreased oxidative stress conditions underline the health-benefiting effects of such activity on breast cancer patients.
Highlights
Breast cancer is the most common type of cancer in women [1]
The IL-6, IL-8 and IL-15 serum concentration significantly increased after 16 weeks of training (p < 0.001), whereas the tumour necrosis factor (TNF)-α values showed no significant differences
The IL-1 receptor antagonist (IL-1ra) value increased after 16 weeks of training but was not significant; similar to what was observed for IL-8, the values in the sedentary patients were higher than the dragon boat patients with regular exercise (p < 0.05)
Summary
It has been reported that exercise interventions in breast cancer patients have positive effects on survival [2] [3], quality of life [4] and weight [5]; in addition, preliminary evidence suggests that exercise may reduce the risk of cancer recurrence [6]. Oxidative stress is an important factor for the onset, progression and recurrence of cancer. Regular exercise can reduce pro-inflammatory cytokines in people with chronic conditions, and this reduction relates to improvements in aerobic fitness [12]. Whether the beneficial effects of regular physical activity in cancer survivors are due to the reduction of pro-inflammatory cytokines remains to be determined
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