Abstract
The optimal dose of physical activity (PA) in cancer survivors (CS) is unknown due
to the large variety of types of cancer, illness stages and treatments, low cardiorespiratory
fitness, and physical inactivity. It is recommended that CS follow current PA guidelines
for healthy population. There are no specific exercise prescription guidelines for
CS. To know the cardiorespiratory parameters of CS in order to create exercise prescription
guidelines for this population, 152 inactive CS were recruited to perform a cardiopulmonary
exercise test. Peak oxygen uptake (VO2peak), ventilatory threshold (VT) and respiratory compensation point (RCP) determined
3 exercise intensity zones to create exercise intensity classification guidelines
for CS. VO2peak (18.7±4.6 mL·kg−1·min−1) and peak heart rate (HRpeak) (145.1±17.9 bpm) were lower than the estimated values (p<0.001). Moderate intensity
zone for CS was different from the current PA guidelines for healthy population: 41–64%
VO2max, 55–70% HRmax, 23–48% HRres, 2.5–4 METs and 8–14 points on RPE scale. Intensities in PA guidelines for healthy
population are not adapted to the characteristics of CS. For individual exercise prescription
in CS specific PA guidelines should be used in order to maximize the benefits obtained
by the use of aerobic exercise training.
Key words
exercise prescription - survivorship - physical activity - quality of life
