Researches Examining Possible Positive Effects of Exercise in Cancer Patients

PEOPLE WILL BE DIAGNOSED WITH CANCER. NATIONWIDE MORE THAN A MILLION. THE NUMBERS ARE SOBERING. CANCER ISN'T ALWAYS A DEATH SENTENCE ANYMORE. NOW RESEARCHERS LOOKING THERE TO IF SOMETHING AS SIMPLE AS EXERCISE COULD HELP SAVE EVEN MORE LIVES. HERE WHEN I GOT THE DIAGNOSIS I MADE THE DECISION THAT I WAS NOT GOING TO LET THAT TAKE OVER MY LIFE. Reporter: SUSAN STANLEY REGULARLY EXERCISED BEFORE AND DURING HER BREAST CANCER DIAGNOSIS AND TREATMENT. IT REALLY HELPED ME TO BE IN BETTER PHYSICAL CONDITION BUT IT ALSO HELPED ME MENTALLY. Reporter: SHE WAS WALKING AND RUNNING 15-MILE ACE WEEK WHEN SHE STARTED HER CHEMO. EVENTUALLY SHE COULDN'T KEEP UP. I COULD DO 15 MINUTES AT A TIME. WHEREAS BEFORE I WAS WALKING AT 3.6 MILESSA AN HOUR. Reporter: SHE FINISHED CHEMO AND SLOWLY INCREASED HER EXERCISE WHICH SEA LIVES MADE A BIG DIFFERENCE. YES. I'M GETTING BACK THERE. I'M NOT ALL THE WAY. IT'S PRETTY GO. I FEEL BETTER. Reporter: HER EXPERIENCE IS NOT UNIQUE. STUDIES HAVE FOUND PEOPLE WHO REGULARLY EXERCISE ARE LESS TIRED AND HAVE A BETTER QUALITY OF LIFE. OTHER STUDIES SHOW A 30 TO 50% REDUCTION IN BREAST AND COLON CANCER. THIS HAS LED DOCTORS TO LOOK IF THE IF EXERCISE COULD BE A WEAPON AGAINST CANCER. DOCTORS ARE RESEARCHING THIS POSSIBILITY. WE ARE TRYING TO APPROACH THE DEVELOPMENT AND TESTING OF EXERCISE JUST LIKE YOU WOULD A NEW DRUG. IT JUST SO HAPPENS ITS EXERCISE. Reporter: NO CONTROLLED TRIALS HAVE GUIDED WHAT DOSE OF EXERCISE. THAT IS THE GOAL. FOR EXAMPLE, ONE STUDY COMPARES HARD ACTIVITY WITH A STRETCHING PROGRAM TO SEE IF OUTCOMES DIFFERENT FOR PEOPLE WITH CANCER. CURRENTLY HE IS FOCUSED PHONE IT'S SAFE FOR WOMEN WITH ADVANCED BREAST CANCER. FASTER AND THE GRADE IS HIGHER. I WILL KEEP PUSHING MY ABILITIES. THIS IS A NEW LEVEL. Reporter: 50-YEAR-OLD CHRIS WEB WAS DIAGNOSED TEN YEARS AGO IT'S SPREAD TO HER BONES AND LIVER. HOPING TO LIVE LONGER SHE IS PARTICIPATING IN THE STUDY. MY DAUGHTER IS EVERYTHING I WORK FOR AND EVERYTHING I DO WITH MY DAY. I WANT FOR HER TO BE STRONG AND SMART AND I WANT TO SHOW THEIR THOSE THINGS. EVEN THOUGH I'M NOT WELL . Reporter: THE DOCTOR SAID IT CAN BE A HARD SELL. I HAVE HAD A FEW PATIENT WHO HAVE KEPT UP WITH THEIR EXERCISE PROGRAM ON CHEMO BUT THEY ARE DEFINITELY THE MINORITY. IF YOU ARE NOT FEELING WELL, IF YOU HAVE EVEN LOW BLOOD COUNTS IT'S NOT SOMETHING YOU WANT TO DO. Reporter: SHE HOPES THE STUDIES SHOW SOME EFFECT. I WOULD LOVE TO SEE THAT IT SHOWS BENEFIT WE WOULD ALWAYS IN THE CANCER WORLD LOVE TO SEE MORE THINGS SHOW BENEFIT. Reporter: THERE IS A STUDY ALONG THE SAME LINES. ONCE OVARIAN CANCER PATIENTS IN REEMERGES HE WANTS TO SEE IF DIET AND EXERCISE PROLONG THE LENGTH OF TIME WITH NO CANCER. THEY SEEM TO BE MOTIVATED ABOUT WANTING A GOOD QUALITY OF LIFE. Reporter: HE ADMITS ITS BEEN HARD. THE DOWNSIDE IS THAT IT'S A LOT OF PAPERWORK. YOU DO HAVE TO HAVE BODY MEASUREMENTS, HEIGHT, WEIGHT, THEY LOOK TO TRY TO MEASURE BASELINE BODY FAT AND SO IT DOES REQUIRE EXTRA TIME, EXTRA PAPERWORK BECAUSE IT'S A RESEARCH STUDY. Reporter: STILL A LOT OF UNKNOWNS ABOUT EXERCISE AND CANCER. HOW MUCH IS NEEDED, DOES IT DEPEND ONTO TYPE OF CANCER AND THEN WHAT IS HAPPENING IN THE BODY AT THE CELL LEVEL TO ACCOUNT FOR BENEFITS.