Effect of Six-Weeks of Mixed Exercises on Improving Quality of Life and Physical Performance after Chemotherapy in Patients with Colon Cancer

Cancer is an abnormal growth of cells that is capable of attacking or spreading to other parts of the body resulting in many physical and psychological side effects. Colon cancer is the development of cancer from the colon or rectum and exercise is used as a promising strategy to treat some of these psychological and physical complications during and after cancer. The aim of the present study was to investigate six weeks of mixed exercises on improving quality of life and physical performance after chemotherapy in patients with colon cancer.

In a semi-experimental study with pretest-posttest and control group, 14 individuals aged 50-70 years with colon cancer were present. The participants were randomly divided into two groups of exercise (n=7) and control (n=7). Before and after six weeks of relaxation and aerobic training for 40-70 minutes, three sessions a week, improving quality of life was assessed using World Health Organization Quality of Life questionnaire and physical performance with Rockport Test.

The results of t-test showed a significant difference in improving the quality of life (physical dimension ( t=-10. 13), psychological (t=-16.86), social relationship (t=-14. 49), environment (t=- 8.62), and physical function (t=-6.72) in the pre-test and post-test of the training group and independent t-test results showed a significant difference in the improvement of quality of life (physical dimension (t=-9.38), Psychological (t=-15. 80), social relationship (t=-10.98), environmental (t=-8.62), and physical function (t=-5.24) between the two groups (P=0.001).

It seems that mixed training leads to improve the quality of life and physical functioning of patients with colon cancer. Professionals are recommended to improve the quality of life and physical functioning of the patients in sports exercises.