Cancer Treatment and Exercise

Your risk of heart damage from cancer treatment can depend on certain risk factors – some of which you can’t control, and some you can.

Risk factors that can’t be controlled include your sex, age, and family history. Some examples of controllable risk factors are inactivity, obesity, and smoking. You are more likely to develop heart damage after a cancer diagnosis if you:

• Are overweight 
• Smoke 
• Have diabetes, high blood pressure or high cholesterol
• Don’t exercise regularly
• Already have heart disease

The good news is that exercise can help control your risks. Use this condition center to learn about the benefits of exercise for patients with cancer, what questions you should ask your care team, and how to get started. 

Authors: Scott C. Adams, PhD; Lee W. Jones, PhD; Jessica M. Scott, PhD