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What Type of Exercise During Cancer Therapy?

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Last Modified: July 15, 2011

What kind of exercise is good to do while undergoing chemo and/or radiation?

Kathryn Schmitz, PhD, Penn Medicine researcher who specializes in the role of physical activity in lymphedema development and prevention, responds:

According to the American Cancer Society, the American College of Sports Medicine, and the National Comprehensive Cancer Network, aerobic activities like walking are safe to do even during active cancer treatment. Your response to exercise like walking might vary as you cycle through treatment, so you will likely need to take a day or 2 off when your treatment side effects are worst, but get right back to exercise as soon as you are able. If all you can do is laps around the dining room table or even stand for a few minutes a day, that's still worth doing!

This question and answer was part of the OncoLink Brown Bag Chat Series. See full archive of IntegrativeTherapies in Cancer Care.