Cancer and its associated treatments represent a multifaceted challenge that affects both the physical and psychological well-being of patients. Over the past decades, it has become clear that non-pharmacological interventions, such as exercise, play a crucial role in the comprehensive management of the disease. In particular, resistance training has emerged as a promising strategy to mitigate muscle wasting, improve physical functionality and address complications arising from cancer therapy.
Resistance training not only improves muscle strength and bone density but has also been shown to positively influence inflammatory markers, energy metabolism and emotional well-being. These benefits are especially critical for patients facing debilitating side effects such as fatigue, cancer-induced sarcopenia and peripheral neuropathy, among others.
However, despite advances in research, implementation of resistance training in clinical settings remains limited. Barriers include a lack of specific protocols, safety concerns, and the need for trained personnel to supervise these interventions. In addition, many unanswered questions remain regarding the intensity, frequency and adaptations needed for different cancer types and phases of treatment.
This Research Topic aims to address these gaps by bringing together innovative research, comprehensive reviews and clinical perspectives on resistance training for cancer patients. By fostering an interdisciplinary dialogue, we hope to advance the integration of this approach into clinical practice, thereby improving outcomes and quality of life for cancer patients.
Please note: Manuscripts consisting solely of bioinformatics, computational analysis, or predictions of public databases which are not accompanied by validation (independent clinical or patient cohort, or biological validation in vitro or in vivo, which are not based on public databases) are not suitable for publication in this journal.
Keywords: Cancer, Patients, Resistance Training, Interventions, Outcomes
Important note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.
