Regular exercise by cancer survivors could reduce risk of cancer recurrence and chronic diseases, an article published in the New Zealand Medical Journal says.
While cancer was responsible for a third of all deaths in New Zealand, survival rates had improved in the last 20 years, co-authors Dr Ewa Szymlek-Gay of Sweden and Drs Rosalina Richards and Richard Egan, of the University of Otago's cancer society social and behavioural research unit, said.
The number of survivors to five years after cancer diagnosis is estimated to be about 60,000 and likely to increase.
Survivors had increased lifetime risk of developing new cancers, cardiovascular disease, osteoporisis and functional decline, they said in their article which reviewed the literature on physical activity among cancer survivors.
Dr Egan said the New Zealand health system was not quite up to speed with how it was going to work with people living with cancer.
Some people felt completely lost post-treatment because all the attention focused on them disappeared.
The results of a pilot scheme begun through the Cancer Society and general practitioners in Dunedin for cancer survivors, taking a holistic view of survivors needs, including exercise, would be of interest.
If it proved successful it was possible it could be seen as worth doing across the country, Dr Egan said.
The researchers said evidence supported the benefits of physical activity for improving risk factors associated with cancer prognosis.
Dr Egan said if such activity was to be effective it had to be tailored to the needs of the people concerned.
It was not as simple as telling people to go to the gym and they would beat cancer.
There needed to be account taken of people's preferences and it was not clear whether the needs of New Zealand cancer survivors in relation to continuing or starting exercise were similar to people in other parts of the world.
Overseas studies had shown that about half of cancer survivors were sedentary and did not engage in any type of exercise.
They were unlikely to continue or initiate an exercise programme without a structured intervention.
An editorial in the same medical journal, by Prof Justin Keogh, of the Person Centred Research Centre at AUT University, and Dr Lynette Jones, of the University of Otago's school of physical education, also called for more suitable programmes and ongoing support.
They suggested cancer clinicians should develop better links with local cancer support workers and exercise specialists so they could confidently refer their patients to evidence-based physical activity programmes in their area.
If none were available, they called for cancer clinicians to lobby the relevant authorities for them.
They listed five existing programmes: Beyond Pink, Encore, Pink Pilates, Cancer Wellfit and Steel Pilates.