ABSTRACT
In June of 2010, the biennial Cancer Survivorship Research: Recovery and Beyond conference was held in Washington, DC. Sponsored by the National Cancer Institute, the American Cancer Society, the Livestrong Foundation and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the meeting is devoted to the topic of cancer survivorship and its stated aim is to ‘bring together investigators, clinicians, and survivors to share and learn about the most up-to-date cancer survivorship research’ (NCI, ACS, Livestrong, CDC 2010). The first day of the 2010 conference was devoted to the topic of lifestyle and presenters included a number of leading lights in the field. ‘It’s never too late to start an exercise programme’, counselled a speaker on energy balance and cancer prognosis. Noting that most patients diagnosed with cancer decreased their exercise levels by 50 per cent, she stressed the ‘need to encourage survivors to increase their physical activity after diagnosis’. Despite acknowledging in passing that treatment side effects were one of the main reasons why patients tended to reduce their exercise levels, the presenter made it clear that such reticence needed to be overcome. Another speaker emphasised the need to ‘capitalise on the teachable moment caused by the cancer diagnosis’ in promoting weight loss among overweight cancer patients. In her closing remarks, the moderator of the final session tasked the audience with spreading this message far and wide. ‘Talk about exercise to the survivors you come into contact with,’ she urged; ‘we’re charging you to get the message out.’
