Sixteen female breast cancer patients who had been diagnosed (3.0 ( 1.2 years previous
to the study) and undergone surgery, chemotherapy, and/or radiation treatment were
randomly assigned to exercise and nonexercise groups. Pre- and post-study measurements
were taken for aerobic performance, leg strength, and concentrations of circulating
lymphocyte subsets and natural killer cell cytotoxic activity (IMKCA). Exercise training
consisted of 60 minutes of supervised weight training and aerobic activity three times
each week for eight weeks. Although subjects in the exercise groups demonstrated some
modest improvement in the various aerobic and strength tests, NKCA and concentrations
of circulating T and NK cells were not significantly altered relative to the nonexercise
group. This study suggests that moderate exercise over an eight-week period has no
significant effect on the function of in vitro natural killer cells in breast cancer
patients.
Key words
Exercise - breast cancer - natural killer cells - lymphocytes - weight training
