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Study: Is there a link between exercise and memory in breast cancer survivors?

Exercise has many health benefits, but can it also help improve memory for breast cancer survivors? This research finds that breast cancer survivors who exercised more had less fatigue and distress (anxiety, depression, stress, and/or concern about recurrence) and scored better on memory tests. (8/2/16)

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Most relevant for: People diagnosed with early stage breast cancer.

It may also be relevant for:

people with breast cancer

Relevance: Medium-High

Strength of Science: Medium

Research Timeline: Human Research

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Exercise linked to fewer memory problems in breast cancer survivors
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Exercise may improve stress-related memory problems In breast cancer survivors
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At a glance	Guidelines
Findings	In-depth
Clinical trials	Limitations
Questions for your doctor	Resources

STUDY AT A GLANCE

This study is about:

Whether exercise helps memory impairment in breast cancer survivors.

Why is this study important?

Breast cancer survivors frequently report experiencing memory impairment, which is linked to depression, anxiety, and fatigue. In this study, the researchers wanted to know how exercise is related to memory impairment, and its effects in breast cancer survivors.

Study findings:

Breast cancer survivors who exercised more had less fatigue and distress (anxiety, depression, stress, and/or concern about recurrence) and scored better on memory tests.

What does this mean for me?

The researchers propose a model where more exercise leads to less fatigue and distress, which results in less memory impairment for breast cancer survivors. More work needs to be done to confirm the link between exercise and memory impairment.

Exercise provides many health benefits. According to the Centers for Disease Control (), exercise helps people to reduce their risk of cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes, reduce their risk for some cancers, increase their chances of living longer, and strengthen bones and muscles, among other things. Breast cancer survivors experiencing memory impairment and its associated distress and fatigue should talk to their health care providers to see what other things they can do to improve their symptoms.

Posted 8/2/16

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Reference

Phillips SM, Lloyd GR, Awick EA, et al. “Relationship between self-reported and objectively measured physical activity and subjective memory impairment in breast cancer survivors: role of self-efficacy, fatigue and distress.” Psycho-Oncology. Published online first on July 8rd, 2016.

Disclosure

FORCE receives funding from industry sponsors, including companies that manufacture cancer drugs, tests and devices. All XRAYS articles are written independently of any sponsor and are reviewed by members of our Scientific Advisory Board prior to publication to assure scientific integrity.

IN DEPTH REVIEW OF RESEARCH

Study background:

Cancer survivors experience a number of long-term side effects that can range from physical problems to psychological and emotional issues. Researchers previously studied how memory impairment affects anxiety, depression and fatigue in breast cancer survivors. In this study, they looked at how lifestyle choices such as regular exercise affect memory impairment and the symptoms associated with it.

In the July 2016 edition of the journal Psycho-Oncology, Siobhan Phillips and her colleagues from Northwestern University and the University of Illinois Urbana Champaign published their work about the relationship between exercise and memory impairment.

Researchers of this study wanted to know:

Can exercise help ease the symptoms associated with memory impairment (fatigue, anxiety, and/or depression) for breast cancer survivors?

Population(s) looked at in the study:

The study followed 1477 women. The women were at least 18-years-old, had been diagnosed with breast cancer, were English speaking, and had completed treatment for their cancer. The majority of the women were white (about 97%) and were diagnosed with ductal carcinoma in situ () or ( 1 or stage II) disease.

When women enrolled in the study they took surveys that evaluated their level of physical activity, distress, fatigue, and memory impairment. They then took the same survey 6 months later. A random subset of the participants wore accelerometers to measure their activity.

Study findings:

Breast cancer survivors who exercised more had less fatigue and distress (anxiety, depression, stress, and/or concern about recurrence) and scored better on memory tests.
- Breast cancer survivors who exercised more had higher “exercise self-efficacy” meaning they believed that they would be able to exercise either three or five times each week.
- Breast cancer survivors who had high exercise efficacy had lower levels of fatigue and distress (depression, concerns about recurrence, perceived stress, anxiety).
- Breast cancer survivors who had low fatigue and distress scored higher on the Frequency of Forgetting test (which included questions such as where participants had put things, directions, and names), meaning they had less memory impairment than women who had high fatigue and distress.

Limitations:

The study population of this research study was mostly white (about 97%), highly educated and had high annual household income. Because of this, the results of this study may not hold true for all women. Additionally, the researchers only had one follow-up after 6 months. More work should be done to extend this time period.

Memory impairment can also be affected by many factors in addition to exercise, so more work should be done to include diet and other psychosocial factors.

Finally, because this study used participants’ self-reported results, their reporting could be biased. Future studies should be done that include objective measures of functioning (the researchers only looked at the relationships between exercise and anxiety/fatigue, and the relationship between anxiety/fatigue and memory impairment—they did not look at cognitive function directly after exercise). Additionally, among women who had less fatigue/anxiety, it was not determined whether that was because they exercised more.

Conclusions:

The results of this study suggest that exercise may be beneficial for memory impairment in breast cancer survivors. More work needs to be done to study this relationship; however, breast cancer survivors who are not exercising should work with a health care professional to create an exercise plan, as there are many established benefits to exercising.

Posted 8/2/16

Share your thoughts on this XRAYS article by taking our brief survey.

Expert Guidelines

The National Comprehensive Cancer Network and the American Cancer Society have recommendations for physical activity for cancer survivors:

Physical activity and exercise recommendations should be tailored to each person's abilities and preferences.
People should try to engage in some physical activity daily; this may include:
- taking the stairs.
- walking more.
Each week, people should try to achieve the following:
- At least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise, with an ideal goal of 300 minutes, 75 minutes of vigorous activity or a combination of the two.
- Two to three sessions of strength/resistance training that include all of the major muscle groups (chest, shoulders, arms, back, core and legs).
- Stretch major muscle groups at least two days per week.

Avoid sitting or lying down for long periods and other prolonged sedentary behavior.

Updated: 03/08/2023

Questions To Ask Your Doctor

I am a breast cancer survivor. Which type of health care provider can I see for follow up survivorship care?
How often and how long should I exercise?
Are there any exercises I should avoid?
What are other things I can do to help improve anxiety, depression, and/or fatigue after breast cancer?
Can you refer me to a personal trainer?

Open Clinical Trials

The following studies focus on exercise for people diagnosed with breast cancer:

NCT06500858: MBC Physical Activity Study. This clinical trial evaluates the impact of a tailored physical activity program on physical activity in patients with breast cancer.
NCT05684367: Exercise to ReGain Stamina and Energy (The EXERGISE Study). This study is enrolling female breast cancer survivors aged ≥ 60 years who have completed therapy for at least 3 months but no more than 1 year. Participants will be assigned to an 8-week walking program.
NCT05327452: Testing Home-based Exercise Strategies in Underserved Minority Cancer Patients Undergoing Chemotherapy: the THRIVE Study. The purpose of this research is to determine whether a 16-week, home-based, aerobic and resistance exercise intervention increases physical activity levels in Black and Hispanic patients with breast, colorectal or cancer.
NCT03824145: Every Day Counts: A Lifestyle Program for Women With Metastatic Breast Cancer (EDC).This study examines dietary and activity patterns, body composition, blood and quality of life in metastatic breast cancer patients. The study will recruit 176 women with MBC in Milwaukee and Chicago.
NCT06171945: Mobile weight Loss Intervention for Adolescent and Young Adult Cancer Survivors. The study will test a mobile smartphone application that tracks weight and physical activity with simplified dietary monitoring in a behavioral weight loss program.
NCT05595577: Improving Exercise Capacity With a Tailored Physical Activity Intervention. This study will test whether participating in a physical activity intervention or a series of educational classes helps preserve exercise capability, heart function, brain-based activities (like memory) and quality of life.

Visit ourFeatured Research Pageand Research Search and Enroll Tool to find additional studies enrolling people with, or at high risk for cancer.

Updated: 11/03/2024

Open Clinical Trials

The following studies look at the management of side effects:

Multiple cancers

NCT02296450: Quality of Life (QoL) Assessment in Cancer Patients and Survivors With Dermatologic Conditions Using Dermatologic QoL Instruments. This large study examines how skin conditions that are related to different kinds of cancer or cancer treatments affect a patient's overall well-being.
NCT05056077: Tools to be Fit. This quality-of-life study examines the best tools for helping cancer survivors improve their diet, and exercise for people with bladder, breast, colon, endometrial, kidney (renal cell carcinoma), ovarian, prostate or rectal cancer.
NCT03996265: Bupropion in Reducing Cancer Related Fatigue in Cancer Survivors. This study tests how well the drug bupropion (Wellbutrin) reduces cancer-related fatigue for survivors.

Breast cancer

NCT04586530: Telehealth and Memory Study (TAMS). This trial seeks to confirm the effectiveness of Memory and Attention Adaptation Training (TAMS), a cognitive-behavioral therapy as a treatment for chemotherapy-related cognitive dysfunction among breast cancer survivors.
NCT02290834: Chemotherapy-induced cognitive and brain changes in older adults with breast cancer. This study investigates cognitive abilities and brain images before and after chemotherapy to identify people at risk for cognitive side effects and to better understand the effects of treatment on brain structure and function.
NCT03879629: TrAstuzumab Cardiomyopathy Therapeutic Intervention With Carvedilol (TACTIC). Breast cancer patients receiving Herceptin or other HER2-directed therapy are at risk of heart damage. This study looks at whether beta-blocker drugs could help prevent this from happening.

Colorectal cancer

NCT05239338: Preserving Fertility After Colorectal Cancer Study (PREFACE). This study investigates the reproductive health and clinical outcomes among individuals ages 18 to 49 who are diagnosed with colorectal cancer.
NCT06420726: Resistance Exercise and Creatine in Colorectal Cancer. This study assesses the feasibility of combining creatine supplementation with resistance training versus resistance training alone in colorectal cancer survivors.

Ovarian cancer

NCT05047926: Prehabilitation for Advanced Ovarian Cancer Patients. This study tests whether structured activity for women undergoing chemotherapy improves their physical state before surgery and thus improves outcomes.

Prostate cancer

NCT03971591: Men Moving Forward: A Lifestyle Program for African-American Prostate Cancer Survivors (MMF). This study looks at Men Moving Forward (MMF), a community-based lifestyle intervention that supports adherence to nutrition and physical activity guidelines to promote improved body composition and lessen the side effects of treatment.
NCT05155501: Pelvic Fascia spARing Radical Prostatectomy TrIAL (PARTIAL). This clinical trial studies whether pelvic fascia-sparing radical prostatectomy has similar cancer control and sexual function outcomes and significantly better urinary function, less penile deformity and inguinal hernia risks as compared to radical prostatectomy.

Updated: 03/11/2025

Find Experts

The Livestrong at the YMCA program includes a free 12-week membership and fitness training with certified exercise experts. You can search by zip code for a program near you.

Updated: 08/18/2023