Home-based program helps cancer survivors

Joe Collie is a long-time prostate cancer survivor.

"The operation was in July of '93, so it's been 16 years since I had that procedure," he said.

But life after cancer can be challenging.

"We have evidence that cancer survivors are at higher risk of additional functional limitations when they go through cancer therapy," said Dr. Miriam C. Morey, Duke University and VA Medical Center. "They have accelerated functional decline, they frequently are at risk for a second malignancy, so overall they represent an at-risk population."

As an overweight, long-term survivor of colorectal, breast or prostate cancer, Collie qualified to participate in Renew, a study that was exploring what effect a detailed home-based diet and exercise program would have on his physical abilities.

"Participants in this study did not have to go join a gym, they didn't have to buy any special equipment. We basically sent the intervention to their home," said Morey.

Participants in the intervention group received workbooks with a tailored diet and exercise program and spoke on the phone with counselors.

"We asked them to make a lot of changes in a lot of different dimensions, not only physical activity but dietary changes, all at one time," said Morey. "They got a lot of requests made of them and they responded. And as a result, their physical function improved considerably."

It worked for Collie.

"You've got to be able to get up and move around. That's what they stressed, and that's what this program stressed," said Collie.

The study of more than 600 cancer survivors appears in this week of Journal of the American Medical Association. Researchers say a big strength of this program is that it does not require clinic visits.