Physical Activity as a Quality of Life Determinant in Breast Cancer Prevention and Survivorship: A Review

Abstract

Background: Breast cancer is the leading invasive neoplasm and a major cause of female cancer mortality. Research confirms that physical activity significantly reduces cancer risk, alleviates treatment side effects, and improves patients' quality of life.

Aim: To synthesize information regarding the protective effect of physical activity against breast cancer development and its role in alleviating treatment-related side effects and improving quality of life.

Materials and Methods: The studies used in this work were identified through a keyword-based literature review of the PubMed and Google Scholar databases.

Results: Physical activity (PA) exerts strong protective and therapeutic effects at all stages of breast cancer, reducing both disease risk and mortality. Progressive resistance training safely improves muscle strength and range of motion without exacerbating lymphedema. Additionally, aerobic exercise maintains cardiorespiratory fitness during chemotherapy. Overall, PA significantly enhances quality of life and effectively reduces symptoms of depression.

Conclusions: Physical activity is a safe, effective intervention that improves clinical outcomes and patient well-being. Despite its benefits, participation remains low; thus, supervised exercise programs should be integrated into standard oncological care with active physician involvement. Future research must focus on optimizing exercise protocols in relation to specific tumor biomarkers.