Impact of intra-infusion aerobic exercise on tumour vascularity in patients with cancer

Abstract

Exercise during chemotherapy treatment has been well established to reduce chemotherapy-related side effects such as fatigue as well as improving quality of life. However, most cancer patients do not meet exercise guidelines during treatment. Chemotherapy infusion may provide a window of time for patients to exercise in a supervised and safe environment. Patients may also benefit from physiological changes to chemotherapy delivery by altering blood flow to the tumour which has dysfunctional vasculature that may promote blood delivery with increased cardiac output from exercise.

The aims of this thesis are to: 1) evaluate the impact of aerobic exercise on tumour vascularity, 2) determine if acute exercise changes tumour blood flow and the relationship with exercise intensity, 3) evaluate any change in response to exercise when performed during chemotherapy infusion, and 4) investigate the effects of repeated intra-infusion aerobic exercise on chemotherapy symptoms and physical activity behaviour.