Can aerobic exercise help prevent brain fog caused by chemotherapy?

Clinical trial reveals improved self-reported cognitive function in women with breast cancer who started an exercise program when initiating chemotherapy.

2024-10-21

(Press-News.org) Many women who receive chemotherapy experience a decreased ability to remember, concentrate, and/or think—commonly referred to as “chemo-brain” or “brain fog”—both short- and long-term. In a recent clinical trial of women initiating chemotherapy for breast cancer, those who simultaneously started an aerobic exercise program self-reported greater improvements in cognitive function and quality of life compared with those receiving standard care. The findings are published by Wiley online in CANCER, a peer-reviewed journal of the American Cancer Society.

The study, called the Aerobic exercise and CogniTIVe functioning in women with breAsT cancEr (ACTIVATE) trial, included 57 Canadian women in Ottawa and Vancouver who were diagnosed with stage I–III breast cancer and beginning chemotherapy. All women participated in 12–24 weeks of aerobic exercise: 28 started this exercise when initiating chemotherapy and 29 started after chemotherapy completion. Cognitive function assessments were conducted before chemotherapy initiation and after chemotherapy completion (therefore, before the latter group started the exercise program).

Women who participated in the aerobic exercise program during chemotherapy self-reported better cognitive functioning and felt their mental abilities improved compared with those who received standard care without exercise. Neuropsychological testing—a performance-based method used to measure a range of mental functions—revealed similar cognitive performance in the two groups after chemotherapy completion, however.

“Our findings strengthen the case for making exercise assessment, recommendation, and referral a routine part of cancer care; this may help empower women living with and beyond cancer to actively manage both their physical and mental health during and after treatment,” said lead author Jennifer Brunet, PhD, of the University of Ottawa.

Dr. Brunet noted that many women undergoing chemotherapy for breast cancer remain insufficiently active, and there are limited exercise programs tailored to their needs. “To address this, we advocate for collaboration across various sectors—academic, healthcare, fitness, and community—to develop exercise programs specifically designed for women with breast cancer,” she said. “These programs should be easy to adopt and implement widely, helping to make the benefits of exercise more accessible to all women facing the challenges of cancer treatment and recovery.”

Additional information
NOTE: The information contained in this release is protected by copyright. Please include journal attribution in all coverage. A free abstract of this article will be available via the CANCER Newsroom upon online publication. For more information or to obtain a PDF of any study, please contact: Sara Henning-Stout, newsroom@wiley.com

Full Citation:
“Aerobic exercise and CogniTIVe functioning in women with breAsT cancEr (ACTIVATE): a randomized controlled trial.” Jennifer Brunet, Sitara Sharma, Kendra Zadravec, Monica Taljaard, Nathalie LeVasseur, Amirrtha Srikanthan, Kelcey A. Bland, Elham Sabri, Barbara Collins, Sherri Hayden, Christine Simmons, Andra M. Smith, and Kristin L. Campbell. CANCER; Published Online: October 21, 2024 (DOI: 10.1002/cncr.35540).
URL Upon Publication: http://doi.wiley.com/10.1002/cncr.35540

Author Contact: University of Ottawa’s Communication department/Faculty of Health Sciences: communication.sante-health@uottawa.ca; media relations (for general media inquiries): media@uottawa.ca; media relations officer for the Faculty of Health Sciences: brizk@uottawa.ca

About the Journal    
CANCER is a peer-reviewed publication of the American Cancer Society integrating scientific information from worldwide sources for all oncologic specialties. The objective of I is to provide an interdisciplinary forum for the exchange of information among oncologic disciplines concerned with the etiology, course, and treatment of human cancer. CANCER is published on behalf of the American Cancer Society by Wiley and can be accessed online. Follow CANCER on X @JournalCancer and Instagram @ACSJournalCancer, and stay up to date with the American Cancer Society Journals on LinkedIn.

About Wiley     
Wiley is one of the world’s largest publishers and a trusted leader in research and learning. Our industry-leading content, services, platforms, and knowledge networks are tailored to meet the evolving needs of our customers and partners, including researchers, students, instructors, professionals, institutions, and corporations. We empower knowledge-seekers to transform today’s biggest obstacles into tomorrow’s brightest opportunities. For more than two centuries, Wiley has been delivering on its timeless mission to unlock human potential. Visit us at Wiley.com. Follow us on Facebook, X, LinkedIn and Instagram.

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Can aerobic exercise help prevent brain fog caused by chemotherapy?

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