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Jul 15, 2009 10:00 pm US/Central
Exercise May Hold Key In Shrinking Breast Cancer
DALLAS (CBS 11 / TXA 21) ―
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Christopher Furlong/Getty Images
Exercise can help you lose weight and feel better, but did you know it might also help cure cancer? A North Texas doctor believes exercise could hold the key to weakening aggressive cancers.
Joan Wolman of Plano loves to travel. She's been all over the world.
"We've been to France, Paris and Provence area, Italy," she said.
She and her husband had several trips planned this year, but something derailed their plans. One night, Wolman says she felt a mass in her right breast. Her husband felt it too, and that's when she knew something was wrong. In March 2009, Wolman was diagnosed with stage 3 breast cancer.
"It [the tumor] was over 9cm long," she said. "That's very big."
She immediately began a chemotherapy regimen to shrink the tumor before she could have a mastectomy. Her surgeon, Dr. Roshni Rao from U.T. Southwestern Medical Center had something up her sleeve, though.
"We're going to see if we can influence the aggressiveness of the tumor along with the chemotherapy," Dr. Rao said.
To do that, Dr. Rao has put Wolman on a strict, boot-camp-like exercise program. She's measuring the effect exercise can have on a tumor when done in conjunction with chemotherapy.
"they do not only resistance activities, but they also do cardiac activities," Dr. Rao explained. "It's resistance that's really been shown to improve insulin resistance."
Dr. Rao says increased insulin resistance brought on by old age and weight gain can fuel tumor growth. But by exercising, insulin resistance decreases essentially robbing the tumor of its fuel supply. That, in turn, will shrink the tumor and make it less aggressive opening the door for more chemotherapy to enter and kill the tumor.
Wolman meets with a trainer three times a week. She does weight training, cardio workouts, and aerobics. She says she can feel the exercise working.
"It's going smaller," she said of the tumor. "So, I feel better!"
Dr. Rao says Wolman's tumor has shrunk significantly giving her new treatment options.
I don't necessarily have to have a mastectomy," Wolman said. "I'm just delighted. I feel like now suddenly there's some choice involved."
This is a small pilot study with only 10 participants. Dr. Rao hopes to finish this study soon and begin a broader study with more than 100 participants. By the end of it all, she hopes to design a breast cancer specific exercise program for patients across the country.
Dr. Rao is recruiting patients for the study. To find out how to join, call 214-648-5647.
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