Workplace exercise trial aims to aid breast cancer recovery

A new trial will test whether workplace-based exercise can ease the transition back to work for women recovering from breast cancer treatment.

An initial 12-week study will monitor 90 women who have completed breast cancer treatment and returned to work, tracking their physical activity levels, fatigue, mood, pain and workplace performance.

The programme aims to reduce long-term fatigue – reported by around one in three women – and address depression and anxiety, which affect nearly half (48 per cent) of those who have undergone treatment.

The research is being led by Dr Rebecca Vince from the University of Hull, who secured £101,028 in funding from Breast Cancer Now.

She said the programme aimed to meet “a very unmet need” in post-treatment support.

Following the monitoring phase, researchers will work with participants to assess how the support could be improved and made more accessible.

Focus groups will then explore the barriers women face and how the programme could be tailored to individual needs.

Physical activity has been shown to improve cancer-related fatigue and reduce the risk of relapse, according to the University of Hull.

Dr Vince said: “Quality of life is important, embodying good physical and mental health and overall well-being and happiness.

“We believe our programme can address these factors and fulfil a very unmet need for women after breast cancer.”

Lucie Lewis, an audio producer from Derbyshire who was diagnosed with breast cancer a week before her 25th birthday, said exercise helped her mental health and energy levels at work.

She said: “This research is so important as I had a lot of difficulty finding any information and support around exercise after cancer in general, a lot of stuff was very focused on much older people.”

Dr Simon Vincent, chief scientific officer at Breast Cancer Now, added: “Almost 55,000 women are diagnosed with breast cancer each year in the UK and this number is rising.

“This project has real potential to help improve women’s quality of life after breast cancer treatment and also help many of them when they return to work.”