Advanced Exercise Prescription for Cancer Patients and its Application in Germany

Abstract

The scientific interest of exercise medicine for the treatment of cancer is ever expanding. Recently published and updated guidelines for exercise training in cancer patients by the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM), the Clinical Oncology Society of Australia (COSA) or the Exercise and Sports Science Australia (ESSA) are leading the way towards an individualized approach for exercise prescription. These guidelines provide physicians and therapists with a comprehensive and detailed overview about the beneficial effects of exercise training and, more so, summarize the evidence on potential dose–response mechanisms, including pathways of exercise-induced stimuli to counteract tumour microenvironmental pathologies. However, the most optimal types and doses of exercise training across the cancer disease and treatment continuum are yet to be determined. Therefore, the purpose of this narrative review was to illustrate the current implications but also limitations of exercise training during the different stages of cancer therapy, as well as to discuss necessary future directions. As a second purpose, special attention will be given to the current role of exercise in the treatment of cancer in Germany.