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Is It OK To Exercise On Day Of Treatment?

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Last Modified: June 29, 2011

Is it ok to exercise on days when I get chemo or radiation?

Kathryn Schmitz, PhD, Penn Medicine researcher who specializes in the role of physical activity in lymphedema development and prevention, responds:

If you feel up to doing exercise on days when you get chemo or radiation, yes, it is safe to exercise on those days. There is one 'in vitro' study (in the test tube) that showed that cancer cells did better fighting off cancer chemotherapy effects if the animals they were removed from had just completed a really vigorous, extreme bout of exercise. However, that does not say anything about whether it is safe or useful to go for a walk or do yoga (more mild forms of exercise).

This question and answer was part of the OncoLink Brown Bag Chat Series. See full archive of IntegrativeTherapies in Cancer Care.