The use of chemotherapy in the treatment of cancer, although increasingly
efficacious for improving survival, produces short- and long-term negative
physiological side effects. Sleep disturbance, fatigue, and depressed mood are common
and distressing problems that occur during and after chemotherapy. Furthermore, after
chemotherapy, cancer patients tend to experience decreased cardiorespiratory fitness
and muscle strength. These changes lead to a decrease in physical function and quality
of life (QoL). Physical exercise has been shown to improve physical function and QoL
in cancer patients during and after chemotherapy. Physical exercise may also alleviate
symptoms that interfere with physical fatigue, mental fatigue, treatment-related fatigue,
muscle pain, arthralgia, and other pain, depression, anxiety, and insomnia.
Furthermore, physical exercise prolongs survival and reduces the mortality of these
patients. Based on previous scientific reports, this chapter introduces the role of
physical exercise in the care of cancer patients treated with chemotherapy.
Keywords: Cancer, Exercise, Oncology, Physical Function, Physiotherapy,
Rehabilitation.
