New Delhi: A new study says that exercise is the only way out if you are suffering from side-effects of breast cancer drugs.
The study says that a combination of weight training and 150 minutes of moderate aerobic activity -- such as brisk walking or jogging -- every week may help mitigate the side-effects of hormone-therapy drugs.
Because most breast cancers are hormone receptor-positive -- that is, they use estrogen or progesterone to grow and spread -- survivors often rely on hormone therapy, such as Aromatase Inhibitors (AIs), to keep the disease from returning.
However, this AIs treatment can be a double-edged sword because they often lead to bone loss or severe joint pain, especially if the survivors are obese or overweight.
"These changes put women at risk for frailty fractures and osteoporosis, not to mention further risk for comorbid chronic disease and cancer reoccurrence," said Gwendolyn Thomas, assistant professor at Syracuse University in New York, US.
Hence, nearly 40 per cent of survivors stop taking AIs long before their customary five-year treatment period expires and increase the chances of their breast cancer re-occurring, Gwendolyn said.
Interventions that address obesity in women taking AIs can help them continue this necessary treatment, the researchers continued.
(With Agency inputs)
