THURSDAY, March 12, 2026 (HealthDay News) -- For patients with cancer scheduled to start chemotherapy, a six-week home-based individually tailored exercise intervention (Exercise for Cancer Patients [EXCAP]) may reduce cancer-related cognitive impairment (CRCI) and mental fatigue, according to a study published online March 12 in the Journal of the National Comprehensive Cancer Network.
Karen M. Mustian, Ph.D., M.P.H., from the Wilmot Cancer Institute at the University of Rochester Medical Center in New York, and colleagues examined the effects of exercise on CRCI and mental fatigue in a study involving 687 patients diagnosed with any cancer type and scheduled to start chemotherapy. Participants were randomly assigned to EXCAP or usual care (354 and 333 individuals, respectively). Cognitive impairment and mental fatigue were assessed using the Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy-Cognitive Function and the Multidimensional Fatigue Symptom Inventory.
The researchers found that EXCAP participants undergoing chemotherapy on two-week cycles reported less overall cognitive impairment, less perceived cognitive impairment, fewer comments from others identifying cognitive impairment, and less mental fatigue compared with participants receiving usual care (mean differences, 7.0, 4.1, 0.6, and −1.6, respectively). Regardless of chemotherapy cycle duration, all EXCAP participants reported less mental fatigue than those receiving usual care (−0.7). In participants receiving chemotherapy, there was an association seen for suppressed inflammatory responses with CRCI.
"Cancer care providers should consider incorporating structured, home-based exercise prescriptions, such as walking and resistance band exercises, into routine chemotherapy care," Mustian said in a statement.