After more than 25 years in oncology rehabilitation, clinical education, and survivorship care, I’ve found one thing holds true: exercise is medicine. It’s not a nice-to-have, and it’s not something only for patients who are already feeling well or strong. It’s a must-have for all patients, and new research affirms that prescribed exercise doesn’t just help cancer survivors regain their strength; it improves their quality of life and chances of long-term survival. A recent study in the New England Journal of Medicine found that after five years, survivors who participated in a structured exercise group had a 28% lower risk of recurrence or death than those who received educational materials alone. For cancer care to truly evolve from eradicating disease to promoting recovery and long-term health, exercise must move from recommendation to prescription.
Behind the scenes: How exercise activates the body’s own cancer-fighting team
Exercise doesn’t spot-treat problems. Instead, it’s a systemic treatment that improves immune function, reduces inflammation, and changes the body’s biological environment in ways that make it harder for cancer to grow. A recent study in Breast Cancer Research and Treatment found that a single session of high-intensity interval training can increase myokines by between 25 and 50% immediately following exercise. Myokines are the body’s own medicine. They signal health and repair and block cancer, every time we move. These exercise-induced molecules travel through the bloodstream, communicating with all the tissues and organs in the body to regulate inflammation, metabolism, and immune response. This positive response happens all over the body at once, which is why the long-term positive impacts of regular movement and exercise are so powerful. Yet despite the overwhelming amount of evidence supporting exercise as a standard component of cancer treatment and survivorship, there’s still no consistent way to prescribe or monitor it.
What’s keeping exercise from being a part of prescribed cancer treatment
As of 2025, there have been more than 3,000 papers published that confirm exercise is beneficial to the wellbeing and longevity of cancer patients. A June 2025 study in Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention found that among more than 215,000 cancer patients, those who exercised regularly, saw all-cause mortality drop by up to 23% in men and 19% in women. Critically, it’s just one of hundreds of recent studies showing movement improves both outcomes and quality of life.
While the evidence exists, and exercise is routinely recommended for cancer patients, the idea of prescribing movement continues to be lost in translation. Part of this challenge lies in the broad perception that physical activity is an optional lifestyle choice rather than a necessity. That perception is mirrored by a recent survey showing that just 31% of adults feel motivated to be more active. Complicating matters, there isn’t a defined way for exercise to be prescribed as a part of treatment and as a result, it doesn’t happen. We don’t hand patients a brochure for chemotherapy, and we shouldn’t do that for exercise, either. Exercise programs must be tailored to each patient’s individual needs just like any other part of their medical treatment, to encourage adherence and engagement. For patients to fully benefit from exercise as part of their treatment, it must be normalized from day one. That means building it into care plans from diagnosis through survivorship and changing both patient and provider mindsets from seeing it as optional to recognizing it as prescribed.
Moving towards personalized exercise as a part of cancer care
Any successful prescribed exercise plan must be as personalized to the patient as the rest of their care plan. Providers don’t have to double as personal trainers to make that happen. With technologies like bioimpedance spectroscopy (BIS), clinicians can see what’s happening inside the body before symptoms appear, detecting subtle changes in muscle mass, fluid balance, and tissue composition. These data reveal what a patient needs from their exercise program: what kind of movement, how much, and how often. Essentially, it allows exercise to be prescribed safely and precisely.
To be effective and make a meaningful difference, movement needs to be scheduled just like any other part of cancer care. It must be an expectation, an appointment on the calendar, not an afterthought or a suggestion. The International Society of Exercise Oncology (ISEO) has recognized the importance of structured, prescribed exercise. With their support, more studies will soon follow the more than 3,000 already on record, advancing training for the next generation of exercise oncology researchers and supporting today’s clinicians with the tools to prescribe personalized exercise now.
We know that exercise is medicine. The science is clear, the mechanisms are known, and the tools are available to deliver it safely. To make all that mean something for patients, cancer care must evolve to include movement as a standard element of every stage of the journey, not as a wellness option, but as a clinical necessity. When exercise is prescribed with the same rigor and intention as any other therapy in the cancer care arsenal, it has the power to transform outcomes and redefine what survivorship and quality of life truly mean.
Photo: Drazen Zigic, Getty Images
Maureen McBeth is a licensed physical therapist and certified lymphedema therapist with more than 25 years of experience in oncology rehabilitation, clinical education, and patient advocacy. As Senior Medical Affairs Liaison at ImpediMed, she supports the integration of bioimpedance spectroscopy for early lymphedema detection and body composition analysis across medical disciplines.
Previously, Maureen led cancer rehabilitation programs at Mercy Medical Center in Baltimore and has long been an active member of the lymphology community, advancing standards of care and global collaboration. A nationally recognized educator, she has taught for the Norton School of Lymphatic Therapy, presented at major conferences, and contributed to peer-reviewed publications and textbooks. Maureen is a passionate advocate for evidence-based, patient-centered care and continues to lead initiatives that shape the future of cancer rehabilitation and lymphatic health.
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