Download “ACE” Program for Cancer Survivors

Cancer SCN Bulletin
Cancer Strategic Clinical Network
www.ahs.ca/cancerscn [email protected]
The Alberta Cancer Exercise “ACE” Program for Cancer
Survivors: Supporting Community-Based Exercise Participation
for Health Promotion and Secondary Cancer Prevention
Advancements in treatment continue to improve survival for patients diagnosed with cancer. The
population of cancer survivors in Alberta is growing and recent estimates suggest there are approximately
100,000 Albertans living with, or beyond, a diagnosis of cancer. For survivors, the aftermath of intensive
therapy includes physical changes and possible mental or emotional changes. There is, therefore, a need
to focus on the quality of life of survivors.
Exercise is a low cost and safe intervention for cancer survivors with beneficial effects on physical
functioning and health-related fitness. Exercise has been shown to reduce the severity of treatmentrelated side effects, such as pain, fatigue, and lymphedema. Furthermore, for patients undergoing active
chemotherapy, exercise has been shown to improve treatment completion rates, thereby potentially
optimizing treatment outcomes. Exercise also represents an important strategy for secondary cancer
prevention of breast, prostate, and colorectal cancers in survivors.
In collaboration with the Cancer Strategic Clinical Network
(SCN) and other partners, Dr. Margaret McNeely (Associate
Professor with the Faculty of Rehabilitation Medicine at the
University of Alberta and Cross Cancer Institute) and Dr.
Nicole Culos-Reed (Professor with the Faculty of Kinesiology
at the University of Calgary) and their team are conducting a
5-year hybrid effectiveness and implementation study to
evaluate the relative benefit from, and implementation of, an
Alberta-wide clinic-to-community-based cancer and exercise
model of care, the Alberta Cancer Exercise (ACE) Program.
Dr. Margaret McNeely, Co-PI for the ACE Study (L).
Dr. Nicole Culos-Reed, Co-PI for the ACE Study (R).
With partnership from CancerControl Alberta, the Universities of Alberta, Calgary, and Athabasca, the
YMCA, the City of Calgary, Wellspring, as well as cancer survivors, the ACE Study received funding for five
years from Alberta Innovates Health Solutions’ Cancer Prevention Research Opportunity, through the
Alberta Cancer Prevention Legacy Fund. The Cancer SCN will work with Dr. McNeely, Dr. Culos-Reed, and
their team over the course of the grant to facilitate discussions and collaborative relationships between
key stakeholders to create opportunities for knowledge translation. The information generated from this
project will be used to inform the planning of future Cancer SCN research projects and initiatives.
Important outcomes expected from this work include improved access to cancer-specific exercise
programming at local and regional levels, standardized exercise programming across the province (while
allowing for flexibility to meet the needs of the survivor and the community), integration of exercise into
the cancer care continuum, and improved health and physical fitness outcomes for survivors. Beyond the
scope of this research project, improvements in the overall health and well-being of cancer survivors are
expected to translate into a reduction in the rates of cancer recurrences and secondary cancers.
For more information about the Cancer SCN, please contact [email protected].