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Background: This systematic review was completed by the Exercise for People with Cancer Guideline Development Group, a group organized by Cancer Care Ontario's Program in Evidence-Based Care (pebc). It provides background and guidance for clinicians with respect to exercise for people living with cancer in active and post treatment. It focuses on the benefits of specific types of exercise, pre-screening requirements for new referrals, safety concerns, and delivery models. Methods: Using the pebc's standardized approach, MEDLINE and embase were systematically searched for existing guidelines, systematic reviews, and primary literature. Results: The search identified two guidelines, eighteen systematic reviews, and twenty-nine randomized controlled trials with relevance to the topic. The present review provides conclusions about the duration, frequency, and intensity of exercise appropriate for people living with cancer. Conclusions: The evidence shows that exercise is safe and provides benefit in quality of life and in muscular and aerobic fitness for people with cancer both during and after treatment. The evidence is sufficient to support the promotion of exercise for adults with cancer, and some evidence supports the promotion of exercise in group or supervised settings and for a long period of time to improve quality of life and muscular and aerobic fitness. Exercise at moderate intensities could also be sustainable for longer periods and could encourage exercise to be continued over an individual's lifetime. It is important that a pre-screening assessment be conducted to evaluate the effects of disease, treatments, and comorbidities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The need for an improved understanding of the rehabilitation services landscape in Ontario and for promotion of Cancer Care Ontario's newly developed Exercise for People with Cancer guideline brought Cancer Care Ontario's Psychosocial Oncology and Survivorship Programs together to host a knowledge translation and exchange event. The primary objectives of the event were to understand recommendations from Cancer Care Ontario's new exercise guideline, to discuss key considerations and determine strategies for the implementation of the guideline recommendations, and to explore the current state and future directions of cancer rehabilitation in Ontario. The event was attended by 124 stakeholders, including clinicians, allied health care professionals, administrators, patients, community partners, and academics representing each of the 13 regional cancer programs in Ontario. Attendees participated in two small-group activities that focused on determining the best approach for implementing the guideline recommendations into practice and discussing current barriers and the future state of cancer rehabilitation in Ontario. The activities allowed for networking and collaboration between attendees. The event provided an opportunity for the Psychosocial Oncology and Survivorship Programs to learn about the types of goals and plans that could be feasible in implementing the guideline in each region, and about ways to prioritize gaps in access to rehabilitation services and the types of implementation strategies that might be used to address the gaps. Overall, attendees were highly satisfied with the event, and the findings are being used to help inform research and practice activities with respect to guideline implementation and rehabilitation practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Development of this guideline was undertaken by the Exercise for People with Cancer Guideline Development Group, a group organized by Cancer Care Ontario's Program in Evidence-Based Care (PEBC). The purpose of the guideline was to provide guidance for clinicians with respect to exercise for patients living with cancer, focusing on the benefits of specific types of exercise, recommendations about screening requirements for new referrals, and safety concerns. Methods Consistent with the pebc's standardized approach, a systematic search was conducted for existing guidelines, and systematic literature searches were performed in medline and embase for both systematic reviews and primary literature. Content and methodology experts performed an internal review, which was followed by an external review by targeted experts and intended users. Results The search identified three guidelines, eighteen systematic reviews, and twenty-nine randomized controlled trials with relevance to the topic. The present guideline provides recommendations for the duration, frequency, and intensity of exercise appropriate for people living with cancer. It also provides recommendations for pre-exercise assessment, safety concerns, and delivery models. Conclusions There is sufficient evidence to show that exercise provides benefits in quality of life and muscular and aerobic fitness for people with cancer both during and after treatment, and that it does not cause harm. The present guideline is intended to support the Canadian Society for Exercise Physiology's Canadian physical activity guidelines. The recommendations are intended for clinicians and institutions treating cancer patients in Ontario, and for policymakers and program planners involved in the delivery of exercise programs for cancer patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]