HALIFAX, N.S.
What doesn’t kill you doesn’t always make you stronger.
An unfortunate side effect of some cancer medicines is that they weaken a person’s cardiovascular system.
Dr. Scott Grandy, a professor at Dalhousie University, is trying to find a way to mitigate the impact.
Grandy said he began his research after talking with a colleague, Dr. Melanie Keats, about what benefits cardiovascular exercise could have for cancer patients or cancer survivors.
“I was interested in the fact that a lot of the treatments used in cancer treatment can have significant impact on the heart,” he said. “I was interested in whether we could use exercise to try to decrease those risks and decrease the side effects of the medication being used."
From 2014 to 2016, he conducted a 12-week study called EXACT with a pediatric population and then expanded it to include a portion of the adult population during which he had the cancer patients with breast and hematological cancer take part in a 12-week cardiovascular program.
It was funded by the Nova Scotia Health Authority and the Beatrice Hunter Cancer Research Institute. Their initial study showed some positive results, but they also found over the course of their study that one of the primary barriers to exercise was getting to the site where the equipment was set up. So, he has developed a plan for a home-based exercise program that would suit in places like Nova Scotia where there are many people living in rural areas.
They’ve received funding from the Canadian Cancer Society and the Canadian Institutes of Health Research and will be doing a second trial called EXACT 2.0 in a couple sites including Winnipeg and Halifax, which both have a mix of rural and urban populations.
Grandy’s goal is to enroll patients who have been diagnosed with breast cancer and get them started before receiving treatment. Participants will do an aerobic based exercise program and will wear monitors on their wrist to keep track of the intensity of the exercise.
His study focused on a particular form of medication known as Anthracyclines which are commonly used to treat cancer, particularly breast cancer. While it’s known to be a great treatment for cancer he said it’s also known to be toxic to the heart and doctors do their best to limit its dosage.
“We’re basically hoping to see is that by performing exercise at the start of treatment it’s going to from a cardiovascular point of view decrease the negative impacts of the chemotherapy on their heart. We’re hoping that it will also decrease their overall levels of fatigue.”
He believes exercise can also have an impact on how a person feels. Many people during their first study talked about how they didn’t feel like getting out of bed but after they came in and did their exercise they felt better.
The results of this study could have lasting impacts on the long-term health of cancer patients, but wouldn’t be possible Grandy said without the support of organizations like the Canadian Cancer Society. That’s why he believes it’s so important for people to fundraise at events like the CIBC Run for the Cure which provides money for research like his.
Want to help?
The CIBC Run for the Cure in support of the Canadian Cancer Society will be held on Sunday, Sept. 30 at Trenton Park.
Event schedule
Registration: 8 a.m.
Opening Ceremonies: 9:15 a.m.
Warm Up: 9:50 a.m.
5 k.m. Start: 10 a.m.
1 k.m. Start: 10 a.m.
Awards & closing ceremonies: 11 a.m.
For more information about Sunday’s run email [email protected] or visit cibcrunforthecuresupportcbcf.com.
