Free cancer survivors fitness program offered by Karmanos and WSU

 

The Barbara Ann Karmanos Cancer Institute is partnering with the Wayne State University School of Medicine and RepEaters CrossFit in Commerce Township to offer cancer survivors 12 weeks of exercise classes focused on building strength and improving overall fitness.

The free classes are provided as part of an exercise program and interventional trial called Cross-Training and Physical Activity: A Better Life Experience, or CAPABLE, which introduces cancer survivors to the sport of CrossFit®. This session begins July 14.

“Exercising has a large impact on our physical, but also our mental well-being,” said Jennifer Beebe-Dimmer, Ph.D., M.P.H., professor of Oncology at the Wayne State University School of Medicine and leader of the Population Studies and Disparities Research Program and scientific director of the Epidemiology Research Core at Karmanos. “We have seen tremendous success with many cancer survivors participating in CAPABLE. Physical activity is so important to our health, but especially after a cancer diagnosis.”

The American Cancer Society recommends cancer survivors avoid inactivity and resume regular physical activities after a diagnosis as soon as their doctor deems it safe. The society also recommends survivors exercise for 150 to 300 minutes weekly, including strength training.

Dr. Beebe-Dimmer designed CAPABLE to help survivors learn to meet these exercise and strength-training recommendations and to teach fitness skills they can use beyond the classes. In June 2023, she and her research team published “The Impact of High Intensity Interval Training in a Diverse Group of Cancer Survivors: CAPABLE, A Pilot Study,” in Preventive Medicine. The study featured outcomes from 48 of the first cancer survivors who participated in CAPABLE. To date, more than 230 survivors have completed the program.

Research continues to be published that highlights the benefits of cancer survivors adopting physical activity. Anthony Shields, M.D., Ph.D., associate center director for Clinical Sciences, member of the Gastrointestinal and Neuroendocrine Oncology Multidisciplinary Team, the Phase I Clinical Trials MDT, the Molecular Therapeutics Researcher Program and professor of Oncology at WSU, helped lead a study that included a number of stage III colon cancer patients at Karmanos among the 1,625 patients across the country who were enrolled in the study. The team presented “Association Between Empirical Dietary Inflammatory Pattern (EDIP) and Survival in Patients with Stage III Colon Cancer: Findings From CLGB/SWOG 80702 (ALLIANCE)” at the American Society of Clinical Oncology Annual Meeting earlier this month. The study investigated systemic inflammation and its connection to the progression of colon cancer. Investigators found that participating patients who had gone through colon cancer resection and had a less inflammatory diet and higher physical activity had better overall survival rates.

“Structured Exercise after Adjuvant Chemotherapy for Colon Cancer” was published in The New England Journal of Medicine this month and presented at the American Society of Clinical Oncology Annual Meeting. The phase III study randomized 889 colon cancer survivors who had resection and adjuvant chemotherapy to an exercise group or to a health education group. Participants contributed to the study groups for three years, starting in 2009, and researchers followed up with the participants through 2024. The study found that patients who took part in the structured exercise had longer survival rates without recurrence, as well as longer overall survival than the patients in the health education group.

Participants will learn how to incorporate physical activity into their daily lives and build back some muscle they may have lost during treatment. Participants report being able to do things they couldn’t before taking CAPABLE classes, like picking up their grandchildren and carrying groceries in from the car.

“CrossFit combines high-intensity interval and strength training. As we take cancer survivors through this training, we look at a host of outcomes – everything from physical fitness and body composition to sleep health, cognitive function and quality of life. We also provide nutrition guidance consistent with current recommendations to help participants make the most of their 12 weeks in CAPABLE and build healthy habits to last a lifetime,” Dr. Beebe-Dimmer explained.

The strength and conditioning workouts consist of functional movements performed at scalable levels for each participant. The term functional refers to movements required for daily living (squatting, lifting, pulling and pushing). Some participants lift five-pound weights, while others may lift much more. Some walk, others jog. Each survivor does the same exercise at varied levels to fit their ability and restrictions outlined by their physician. 

Participants must be 18 or older, cancer survivors and not currently participating in any regular exercise program. Medical clearance from their oncologist or primary care provider is required.

Classes run for 12 weeks, Mondays, Wednesdays and Thursdays at 11 a.m., starting July 14 at RepEaters CrossFit, located at 3202 Old Farm Lane in Commerce Township.

For questions more information, call 313-578-4246 or email CAPABLE@wayne.edu, or visit karmanos.org/CAPABLE.