Reach - Research In Exercise And Cancer Health

Keith is an Assistant Professor in the Departments of Kinesiology & Biology at Loras College. He is also the Director of the Loras Cancer Research & Exercise Science Laboratory (CARES Lab), where his research agenda focuses globally on the role of physical activity and sedentary behavior on health outcomes specific to cancer survivorship. In this episode we chat about the details of the exercise oncology twitter conference this October, including dates, how to's and participation information! Follow Keith on Twitter @KTB_PhD For more information on the exercise oncology conference, check out www.exonctc.com or @ExOncTc on twitter

Anna Campbell is a senior lecturer at Edinburg Napier University and the founder of CanRehab, a company that provides education and training for health and fitness professionals interested in exercise oncology.    In this episode, we chat about Anna’s background and the evolution of CanRehab. We chat about some of the real world challenges with working in this space, particularly with establishing lines of communication with medical staff for referrals.    Find Anna at www.canrehab.co.uk or on twitter @canrehab

In this episode, I chat to Tormod about some of his groups work in resistance exercise and prostate cancer. We also chat about how we can do a better job of reporting our exercise trials, particularly in regards to modified sessions, where participants don't reach the desired dose or intensity of exercise. This is a really important area that will strength the impact of our research.    Check out Tormod on twitter @TSNils   Some of Tormods publications we talked about: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25927504 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/29315168

Cancer doesn't just affect the person diagnosed; it can affect the whole family. In this episode, Tori and Khara offer incredible insight into what it's like to be a primary caregiver for someone diagnosed with cancer. Moreover, Tori and Khara both lost their mothers to breast and ovarian cancer, respectively, while both women were in college. We chat about this experience to lose a parent at such a young age, going through that grieving process and how that experience has given both women purpose to pursue fields in oncology. 

In this episode, myself, Mark and Chris chat about everything from the patient perspective on cancer care and the transition to survivorship, to factors such as environmental layout and technological advances that influence healthy behaviours. 

Ken Martin was diagnosed with two different types of cancer (Lymphomas: Follicular Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma; Hodgkin’s Lymphoma; and Diffuse Large B-Cell Lymphoma). An avid endurance athlete, Ken (having read research that demonstrated exercise could help during chemotherapy), convinced his physicians to let him bring his stationary bike into the chemo ward to exercise during chemotherapy.  We chat about how and why Ken decided to do this, along with how it was received by the medical staff. 

Tarina was diagnosed with Terminal Cancer three years ago at the age of 31. In this episode, we chat about the challenges of living with a terminal diagnosis at such a young age. 

  Liz is a breast cancer surgeon located in England. In 2015, she was diagnosed with Stage III breast cancer at the age of 40. In this episode, we chat about how Liz’s diagnosis not only changed her life, but how she speaks to and treats her patients.    This was a great chat about how Liz balanced being a doctor and patient, while also training for a triathlon during treatment!

Anna Beery is a registered dietitian working in radiation oncology at Ohio State University. The majority of Anna’s patients are head and neck (HNC) cancer patients. The treatment for HNC presents some unique challenges: with radiation affecting the swallowing muscles, making swallowing painful and difficult. Taste changes also make a lot of food unpalatable. The result of this is that HNC patients experience dramatic weight loss, particularly with muscle mass, with a profound impact on prognosis and quality of life.   In this episode, we chat about how Anna and the RD’s at OSU use nutrition to try and prevent some of these changes, along with the difficulties of working with patients undergoing treatment. A fascinating chat for me, I hope you enjoy it!  

Dr. Prue Cormie has been one of the leaders in the field of exercise oncology for many years now. She has carried out a wealth of research looking at how exercise can improve physical and mental health in individuals with cancer both during and after treatment.    In this episode, we chat about how exercise (particularly higher levels) are linked to increased survival in cancer survivors. We also chat about EX-MED Cancer, a program that Prue has rolled out in Melbourne, Australia. EX-MED is a free community based exercise program for cancer survivors that is grounded in the latest scientific evidence. EX-MED also looks to become the gold standard of education for professionals as they provide webinars and continuing education for people working in this area.    For more on EX-MED, visit http://www.exmedcancer.org.au/ and keep up with Prue on twitter @pruecormie

We're back for 2018! In this episode, I chat about plans for the upcoming year, including guests, content and goals for the podcast. 

Tori is a good friend of mine and we’ve grown close over the past 3 years through a shared passion for the field of exercise oncology. Tori lost her mother to breast cancer in 2012 after an 8 year battle. Tori used this experience to drive her career forward. She found her passion in exercise oncology research, set up HeroCancerHealth and has partnered with Grandview ProFitness to offer free exercise classes to cancer survivors in the Columbus, Ohio area.   HeroCancerHealth is an online platform with the goal to provide an education and understanding of safe and effective exercises and recommendations for accompanying and managing existing cancer treatment, reducing cancer risk, and enhancing overall survivorship.   We talk about Tori’s experience with her mother’s passing and how this influenced her personal ambition and professional goals. A huge thanks to Tori for tackling a difficult topic and speaking about the difficulty of losing a parent, along with how she turned this adversity into a positive experi

Allison is an MD, PhD and a fellow in Medical Oncology at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. In this fascinating conversation, we talk about how exercise may affect tumor vasculature and improve the delivery of common cancer treatments. Allison’s work (along with folks such as Lee Jones) is leading the way in looking to the mechanisms of how exercise can modify the tumor microenvironment.   As a clinician, Allison talks about how the role of exercise in cancer care is viewed through the lens of oncologists. We have a great chat about how if we’re going to view exercise as medicine, we need to treat it with the same rigor we do with any other drug. A huge thanks to Allison for donating her time and offering a unique perspective to exercise oncology!

Sam Ryan is a radiation therapist with extensive experience, working daily with cancer patients receiving radiation treatment to ensure they’re getting the highest quality treatment. Sam reached out to me after hearing some of our episodes, and did a great job of educating me on how body weight changes during treatment can affect both the accuracy and effectiveness of radiation therapy.   Some of their margins for error can be less than 2mm, so it’s easy to see how swings in bodyweight either way, may change the shape of the body and shift the targeted area. A really important discussion for anyone working with cancer patients. A huge thanks to Sam for the chat and sharing her knowledge!   Get in touch with Sam at samantharyan123@hotmail.com

Nicole is a physical therapist who specializes in cancer rehabilitation. She has done an incredible amount of work in the area of lymphedema and working to improve this area of cancer care.   We chat about what lymphedema is, recognizing signs and symptoms, and common exercises used to treat it. We also talk about Nicole’s work using a prospective surveillance model or rehabilitation, screening for and treating issues as they arise. This progressive model can drastically reduce the physical and financial burden of rehab for patients, getting back to full health quicker.

Erica was diagnosed with a rare form of leukemia the last semester of her senior year of college, after months of false tests and uncertainty. A little over 3 years on, Erica is now a third year medical student at Ohio State, currently finishing up her clinical rotations. We chat about her incredible from before her diagnosis, through a grueling treatment regimen, to where she is now.   I can’t thank Erica enough for her honesty in sharing her story, I’m sure people will take a lot from this!   Stitcher: https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/ciaran-fairman/reach-podcast   Itunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/reach-research-in-exercise-and-cancer-health/id1223832935?mt=2

I often get asked by patients and survivors where they can go to find a trainer with a background or understanding of cancer.  It's a great question that has a longer answer. The field is still new, so there's not a lot of us out there yet, but that doesn't mean you can find a great trainer with different background expertise that can help you a lot. Similarly, a lot of people with the most "expertise" tend to be researchers, so they don't have the time to be hands on personal trainers. I chat about this, what to look for in a good coach/trainer and more.     

Dr. Mike DeLisio is an Assistant Professor at the University of Ottawa, focusing on how exercise alters stem cell interactions with their niche in the context of cancer and cancer therapy. Mike is also a cancer survivor, 4 years removed from a diagnosis of myxoid liposarcoma, a pretty rare form of fat cancer. Mike was 30 years old fresh out of his PhD in exercise physiology when he first got diagnosed. In typical young male fashion, he didn’t want any sympathy or pity and just chose to dig his heels in, push through his treatment without telling many people. We end up having a great chat about his mindset during his diagnosis, the treatment and how much of a psychological effect of these factors around cancer can have. He also gives an interesting insight into how his diagnosis and the thought of recurrence affect some of his bigger life decisions.   I can’t thank Mike enough for his honesty, I think a lot of people will take a great deal from his story.     Itunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/reach-

Louise is a Chartered Physiotherapist who received a BSc in Physiotherapy from Trinity College Dublin in 2009. Since then, she has been working clinically in the National Health Service in London and Kent. In this episode, we chat about the CATCH ITN project, funding 8 PhD researchers, and how technology can work in cancer rehab. We also chat about how Louise works with cancer patients directly after to surgery to improve upper limb dysfunction. Louise gives a great insight into some of the strategies employed to improve function in the affected limb as soon as the day after surgery.    

This was one of my favorite episodes yet! Colleen is doing some incredible things at the Hope Garden in Columbus, providing cancer patients and survivors access to harvest fruits and vegetables. The best thing about this garden is that it is free for any cancer patient or survivor, even those who aren’t treated at Ohio State, or aren’t participating in a study. So, if you know of someone who might be interest, pass them on the info below! One of the most interesting things we talk about is a current study they’re working with where they’re actually providing cancer patients and survivors with 16 ounces of red meat a week and looking its effects on a variety of health outcomes. The red eat and cancer risk is a hot topic, but has a lot of misconceptions and is not as clear cut as the media tries to make it, so it was great to be able to dive into that with Colleen.   Keep up with the Hope Garden here: http://spees11.wixsite.com/hope Follow me on twitter for all cancer-related content @ciaranfairman   Stitcher: