When women are diagnosed with breast cancer, the treatment journey often includes a combination of surgery, chemotherapy, radiation, and long-term endocrine therapy. These treatments save lives, but they can also bring debilitating side effects that lead many women to stop treatment early or avoid it altogether.
In fact, research shows that adherence rates to endocrine therapy can be as low as 50% at 5 years despite clear evidence that completing treatment significantly reduces recurrence and mortality risk.
So where does exercise come in?
It turns out that structured, supervised movement may be one of the most powerful tools for supporting women to stay the course with their treatment plan.
Why Patients Stop Treatment Early
Let’s start with the real-world barriers.
Endocrine therapy (like tamoxifen or aromatase inhibitors) and chemotherapy often lead to:
- Persistent fatigue
- Joint and muscle pain (arthralgia)
- Hot flushes
- Sleep disturbance
- Mood changes and cognitive fog
- Loss of strength, function, and confidence
When these symptoms accumulate, it’s easy to see why women start asking “Is this really worth it?”
Unfortunately, the consequence of poor adherence is increased risk of recurrence, metastasis, and poorer survival outcomes. But what if the treatment could be made more tolerable?
Exercise Makes Treatment More Tolerable
The research is clear: exercise is the only intervention consistently shown to reduce the severity of treatment-related side effects in breast cancer.
Let’s break it down:
💜Fatigue
Exercise is more effective than any medication or supplement for cancer-related fatigue. Women who participate in moderate-intensity aerobic and resistance training during treatment report less fatigue, even while undergoing chemotherapy or radiation.
💜Arthralgia
Joint pain is one of the biggest reasons women stop endocrine therapy.
Studies show that structured strength training improves joint mobility, reduces inflammation, and reduces reported pain severity, making it easier to stay on medication long-term.
💜Mental Health
Exercise improves mood, reduces anxiety and depression, and supports cognitive function, key for women managing “chemo brain” or treatment-related distress.
💜Body Confidence & Strength
Maintaining strength and function helps women feel more capable, more in control, and less defined by their diagnosis. This psychosocial shift is hugely protective against dropout.
The Evidence: Exercise = Better Compliance
A 2016 study by Irwin et al., published in Journal of Clinical Oncology, found that women who engaged in regular, supervised exercise during breast cancer treatment were:
- More likely to complete chemotherapy as prescribed
- More adherent to endocrine therapy over time
- Reported fewer dose reductions and fewer skipped cycles
Similar findings have been reported in numerous trials and meta-analyses. A 2020 review in CA: A Cancer Journal for Clinicians noted that structured exercise during treatment improves not just physical function, but adherence, persistence, and long-term survival.
What Kind of Exercise Is Best?
At The Active Studio, our Exercise Physiologists specialise in oncology-specific exercise prescription, with programs tailored to:
- Energy levels
- Pain tolerance
- Surgical limitations (e.g. post-mastectomy, lymph node clearance)
- Side effect profiles (e.g. neuropathy, lymphedema, fatigue)
A balanced program may include:
- Aerobic training (e.g. walking, cycling)
- Resistance training (to maintain lean mass and bone health)
- Mobility and breath work (to calm the nervous system and improve sleep)
Consistency and individualisation are key. Exercise is prescribed like medicine, adjusted as needed and built around each woman’s goals and capacity.
The Bottom Line
The better women feel during treatment, the more likely they are to finish it…..and finishing treatment saves lives. Exercise isn’t just “safe” during breast cancer treatment, it’s essential.
By reducing side effects, preserving function, and boosting mental resilience, exercise helps make treatment more tolerable, which directly improves drug compliance and long-term outcomes.
How We Can Help
At The Active Studio, we run 1:1 sessions and group oncology programs designed specifically for women at any stage of their breast cancer journey, before, during, and after treatment. Our owner and senior EP, Nicola holds a Masters in Exercise Medicine (Oncology)
If you’re navigating treatment, or supporting someone who is, know that movement can make the journey easier, more empowering, and more effective.
📞 Call us on 0431 978 752
📩 Email: info@theactivestudio.com.au
🔗 www.theactivestudio.com.au
Let’s move through treatment, together.
