Exercise: Builds Muscles and Shrink Tumors

If you are going through a battle with cancer and undergoing Doxorubicin chemo treatment, try to find a way to get out and perform some form of exercise.
A new study shows that tumors in mice shrank significantly quicker with Doxorubicin chemo and exercise instead of just chemo alone. The scientists conducting the study believe the tumor reduction may be due to the the higher blood flow from the exercise which then improves the drug efficacy. They may recommend patients take a lower dose (and suffer fewer side effects) as long as they add exercise.

The only bad news here; Scientists have studied exercise impacts on the heart in Doxorubicin patients (and mice) because the cancer drug can harm the heart. Studies during the past ten years have shown that exercise PRIOR to a Doxrubicin treatment can lessen the negative impact of the drug on the heart. It turns out that exercise DURING doxorubicin treatment does not protect the heart.

And hey, look at it this way — if the cancer drugs are bad for you, getting rid of the tumor quicker may mean less time on the drug.