ACU's Eva Zopf has been awarded a significant World Cancer Research Fund grant to deliver important new insights into the feasibility and safety of exercise during immunotherapy.
Dr Zopf, from the Mary MacKillop Institute for Health Research, said immunotherapy is a treatment prescribed to an increasing number of people with cancer, including melanoma, a type of skin cancer.
The treatment works by enhancing the ability of the own immune system to kill cancer cells.
While it can be very effective, over 90 per cent of people experience adverse reactions which can impact their wellbeing and quality of life and affect how much treatment they can tolerate.
Australia has the highest rates of melanoma in the world, with a new case of melanoma diagnosed every 30 minutes and one Australian dying of the disease every six hours.
Dr Zopf and her team, including Dr Sophie Broome, will engage 50 people with melanoma to see if an exercise program during immunotherapy is practical, if participants attend sessions and can follow the exercise prescription.
They will also explore the effects of exercise on treatment-related side effects, quality of life and the immune system.
The study findings will inform future studies that will help establish exercise recommendations for people undergoing this type of treatment.
"Immunotherapy has significantly advanced how we treat cancer, however immune-related adverse events are common and can be severe," Dr Zopf said.
"Exercise has been proven to be safe and beneficial in managing side-effects from other cancer treatments, however it is crucial to study the physiological response and confirm the safety of combining exercise and immunotherapy, given exercise itself impacts the immune system.
"We are extremely grateful for the funding provided by the World Cancer Research Fund, as part of the World Cancer Research Fund International grant programme, to advance our knowledge in this understudied field of research."
The World Cancer Research Fund's global network of charities this week awarded 19 new research grants, investing more than £5million in bold, imaginative science that will help people avoid cancer and live better and longer after a diagnosis.
