New Surrey study into exercise's link to cancer recovery
A new study is looking to determine whether exercise can help tackle cancer.Cancer patients being treated by the Royal Surrey NHS Foundation Trust are taking part in a clinical trial prescribing moderate to intense exercise to help tackle tumours.The study aims to prove that exercise during chemotherapy and before surgery may help to reduce the size of cancerous tumours and improve outcomes for patients.Mike Milton, a patient taking part in the study, said: "Cancer takes away a lot of things and you can feel a little bit like a passenger. It can be quite a dark time and this gives you something to focus on that you can control."
As part of the trial, oesophageal cancer patients are given a moderate to intense exercise programme including cycling and strength training.Authors of the initial study, in partnership with the University of Surrey, say that following the programme some tumours have been "undetectable" during surgery.
So far 22 people have taken part in the trial, with 11 given a 16-week exercise programme while the others were not.Researchers say the exercise programme, known as "prehabilitation", can lead to fewer complications during chemotherapy and surgery through better cardiovascular health and muscular strength.Dr David Bartlett, co-first author of the study, said: "If you have been diagnosed with oesophageal cancer this is the time we can give you some sort of ownership over your journey."Researchers are now looking to invite more cancer patients to be involved in a wider study to understand whether the earlier results can help to improve treatment on a larger scale.
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Mr Kellar said Dr Hakmi had been left permanently disabled by the stroke, but that the worst of the injuries could have been avoided but for the negligence of staff at Lister and on the remote stroke line. As well as a limp and reduced sensation in his fingers and toes, he suffers from fatigue in his right arm, hand and grip, which prevents him performing complex tasks for long periods. He was also left with a brain injury, resulting in short-term memory impairment, difficulty with concentration, reduced processing speed and 'executive deficits.' 'His confidence is low, and he is experiencing significant depressive symptoms due to physical, cognitive, speech, and language issues resulting from his second stroke, which are negatively affecting important aspects of his life,' he said. 'Thus, Dr Hakmi presents with cognitive deterioration, including intellectual functioning, memory, the speed at which he is processing information and executive functioning. 'At the time of the index incident, he was undertaking full-time NHS employment and had a busy private practice. 'He no longer has any private practice. He has returned to his NHS employment but is undertaking restricted duties because of the issues arising from his second stroke. 'He no longer does any surgery. But for the breach of duty, the claimant is likely to have made a good recovery. He would have been able to return to all types of surgery that did not require a high degree of manual dexterity.' But NHS barrister John de Bono KC denied Dr Hakmi is due any compensation and accused him of hamming up his symptoms while being assessed by experts before the trial. As well as the 'very bad' IQ score, he had scored at the very bottom of the range in memory tests, the barrister told the court. 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'I understand you feel very strongly that you have suffered greatly as a result of this second stroke,' he continued. 'I understand that you feel the reason you have suffered as badly as you have is because of mistakes or negligence. I understand it must make you angry.' He went on to suggest Dr Hakmi's 'sense of injustice' may have led to a desire to make sure that 'people fully understand the impact this has had on you.' 'Is it possible when you went to be tested that you performed worse than you should have done because you were trying to demonstrate to them just how big the impact had been? 'One possibility which I put to you is that you were deliberately underperforming.' But Dr Hakmi denied playing up for the medics who assessed him pre-trial, telling the court he had found the tests 'exhausting.' He denied being dishonest with the doctors, telling the judge, 'it was an exhausting environment when the tests were done in a lengthy and not organised manner. 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The damages claim is against the East and North Hertfordshire NHS Trust, which runs the Lister Hospital, and the Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, where the remote stroke doctor who spoke to Dr Hakmi was based. The trusts both deny blame, saying he was 'at all times treated with reasonable care and skill by highly competent clinicians.' He was assessed as being unsuitable for thrombolysis treatment because his symptoms were not serious enough and it was too late after the onset of his symptoms. Such treatment can also be risky, carrying a significant risk of brain haemorrhage and death, said the NHS barrister, and even if he had been given it the outcome would probably have been the same. The trial continues.
