Research
Mixed
Breast cancer survivors have significantly reduced cardiorespiratory fitness (peak VO2) compared to healthy controls, primarily due to impaired central cardiovascular function (lower stroke volume and cardiac output) rather than peripheral muscle extraction deficits.
Breast cancer treatment can reduce your heart's ability to pump blood during exercise, leading to lower fitness levels. This is a physiological change, not just 'being out of shape.' Targeted aerobic exercise can help improve this cardiovascular function.
GoodSupportsHIGH confidence
The decreased peak VO2 in survivors of breast cancer was primarily due to a lower stroke volume and cardiac output, as heart rate and arterial-venous oxygen difference during maximal cycle exercise were not significantly different between groups.
Why this rating
Based on a specific study of 47 survivors with normal LV systolic function showing hemodynamic differences.
Source
Lifestyle Interventions to Improve Cardiorespiratory Fitness and Reduce Breast Cancer Recurrence
Mark J. Haykowsky et al. · American Society of Clinical Oncology Educational Book · 2017
DOI 10.1200/edbk_175349
narrative_reviewCited 21×
Read the paper DOI resolved against Crossref · corpus check 2026-06-10
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- Combined diet and exercise interventions are superior to either intervention alone for improving cardiorespiratory fitness (peak VO2) and reducing body weight in overweight/obese breast cancer survivors.Good
- Breast cancer survivors who engage in moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (≥9 MET-hours/week) experience a significantly reduced risk of breast cancer recurrence and all-cause mortality compared to inactive survivors.Moderate
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