The effects of generalized exercise programs to combat cancer and cancer treatment-related side effects have been extensively reported in the literature. The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of an individualized exercise program with emphasis on resistance exercise on changes in muscular strength and fatigue in breast cancer female patients undergoing treatment. Twenty subjects were randomly assigned to two groups: an experimental (57.5 +/- 23.0 years) and a control (56.6 +/- 16.0 years) group. A twenty-one week protocol involving pre- and post functional assessments, multiple measures of fatigue, and the administration of an individualized prescriptive exercise intervention was used. The experimental group exercised at a low to moderate-intensity for sixty minutes two days a week beginning after surgery. Significant differences in overall muscular strength were observed between groups post-intervention (p = 0.025). Fatigue was also significantly different between groups at treatment one (p = 0.001), treatment two (p = 0.005) and post-intervention (p = 0.001). The results of this study suggest that an exercise prescription emphasized with resistance training should be utilized to combat fatigue and to increase muscular strength in breast cancer patients undergoing treatment.

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