Exercise training and regular physical activity have been mentioned as one of the non-pharmacological approaches to enhance breast cancer outcomes. Such evidence encourages health professionals to recommend it as an adjuvant in treatment conditions to improve cardiorespiratory fitness that, can increase the rate of completion of pharmacologic therapies, reduce cancer-related fatigue, and improve muscle strength and quality of life. Research results have highlighted a positive relationship between exercise and breast tumor outcomes, that seem to be dose dependent (the more activity the more protection) and can be mediated through several biological mechanisms. In this chapter, we intend to summarize the current knowledge about the effects of exercise in the regulation of metabolic and steroid hormones, tumor-related inflammation, and the attenuation of cancer-induced muscle wasting, highlighting the exercise designs that can prompt the best results.
Part of the book: Exercise Physiology