Irish Cancer Society Highlights Importance of Physical Activity after Cancer at Conference for Cancer Survivors

The Irish Cancer Society, with the help of some of Ireland’s sporting legends, today highlighted the importance of physical activity after a cancer diagnosis at the opening of the National Conference for Cancer Survivorship which is running this Friday and Saturday at the Aviva Stadium, Dublin.  The free conference, which marks the culmination of Cancer Week Ireland in partnership with Trinity College, will see almost 1,000 cancer survivors from across Ireland coming together to engage with each other as well as with Irish and International experts in the field of cancer.
 Irish sports stars including Tony Ward, Katie Taylor, Eamonn Coughlan, Dr. Noel McCaffrey and Seán Boylan joined cancer survivors for an exercise session on the pitch to mark the opening of the conference and highlight the value of exercise after a cancer diagnosis.
 Olwyn Ryan, Patient Support Services Manager at the Irish Cancer Society said “The theme of this year’s Cancer Week and the Irish Cancer Society's conference is Living Well with Cancer. We want to enable people to live better after a cancer diagnosis and give them information and support that will help them with the transition from cancer patient to cancer survivor.
 “Over the next two days, through our speakers and workshop sessions, we will aim to give people the tools to change their behaviour after cancer in order to deal with issues such as the fear of cancer coming back, and the long term side effects of treatment. We now know that things like eating a healthy diet and exercising are of major benefit to cancer survivors,” she said.
 Dr Noel McCaffrey, a Lecturer in the School of Health and Human Performance and medical director of MedEx at Dublin City University will present on the challenges and effectiveness of cancer rehabilitation through physical activity. He said “Regular exercise reduces the risk of developing many forms of cancer and may also help in cancer rehabilitation. Exercise is known to reduce the distressing and common symptom of cancer related fatigue as well as enhancing quality of life and improving functional capacity in people recovering from cancer.
 “Cancer survivors, or their relatives and friends, often feel that exercise participation may be harmful to their health. This is untrue and leads to unnecessary and damaging deconditioning which can have negative effects on physical, psychological and emotional health and may actually impair full recovery.”
 Dr McCaffrey works with cancer survivors on the Move On (for patients recovering from a primary cancer) and Living Life (for patients with advanced cancer) programmes in DCU. These programmes have been developed in collaboration with hospital based cancer treatment teams in the Mater and Beaumont hospitals and with the Irish Cancer Society.
 “It is incredible to witness the enjoyment of the participants and the transformation that occurs in their confidence and wellness. It is a real privilege to have the opportunity to work with this group. Challenges do arise, particularly for patients with advanced cancer who may have pain and physical disability.

"However, it is often possible to find a way to overcome these challenges and to help these patients to enjoy physical activity again,” he said.
 The Irish Cancer Society is also bringing physical activity to cancer survivors through its Strides for Life programme, a 15 week walking programme for cancer survivors based on the Murphy Cardiovascular (METs) Programme. It aims to empower cancer survivors to get active and to help improve their overall health and well-being.
 Other key speakers across the two days of the conference include:
 

• Minister for Health, Leo Varadakar.
   
• Dr Catherine Alfano, National Cancer Institute, USA, cancer survivorship expert.
   
• Dr Michaela Higgins, Assistant Professor of Medicine, Harvard Medical School and Attending Medical Oncologist, Massachusetts General will outline the major Therapeutic and Surgical Advances in Cancer Treatment.
   
• Karen Kinahan, Northwestern University, Chicago, USA will address issues around the late effects of childhood cancer.
   
• Prof Elaine Fox, University of Oxford, UK, discusses the psychological responses to cancer.
   
• Richelle Flanagan, Ireland, on the prevention of cancer recurrence.
   
• Christy Kenneally, Ireland, on Resilience

The conference is kindly supported by Bristol-Myers Squibb.