Livestrong at the YMCA Program Shows Significant Gains for Cancer Survivor Participants
Chicago, IL – May 28, 2015 – Cancer survivors who participated in the Livestrong at the YMCA program exhibited improvements in physical activity, fitness and quality of life, according to research conducted by Drs. Melinda Irwin of Yale Cancer Center and Jennifer Ligibel, MD, senior physician in the Susan F. Smith Center for Women’s Cancers, Dana Farber Cancer Institute. The findings will be presented at this year’s American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Annual Meeting in Chicago.
The study, designed to assess the impact of the 12-week Livestrong at the YMCA program, included 186 participants and specifically evaluated quality of life, physical activity and fitness. Participants experienced significant increases in physical activity (75 percent exercising a minimum of 150 minutes/week vs. 25 percent for the control group); and improvements in both overall quality of life and fitness performance (according to a six-minute walk test). The participants had been diagnosed with stages I-IV of cancer, of which 50 percent had breast cancer. In addition, at the outset of the program, the majority of the participants had been inactive.
“We were so pleased to be able to show the improvement in the Livestrong at the YMCA’s participants after committing to this program of physical activity,” said Drs. Irwin and Ligibel. “We look forward to an opportunity to show longer term and wider effects – hoping to prove that the Livestrong at the YMCA program could provide a platform to increase physical activity in thousands more cancer survivors around the country.”
The study will be presented at ASCO as part of the Patient and Survivor Care session on June 1. The clinical trial information on the study is available at NCTO2112149. “Livestrong at the YMCA was created when patients told us that they needed a safe, supportive space to get into a fitness routine following treatment,” said Chandini Portteus, Livestrong President and CEO. “Drs. Irwin and Ligibel’s research reinforces our belief that embarking on this program of semiweekly physical activity is keenly important to help cancer survivors be a part of an active and vital community. Along with our partners at the YMCA, we hope that these results will allow more survivors to take advantage of the program and regain their physical fitness.”
Livestrong at the YMCA is a 12-week exercise program, offered at little to no cost, to help survivors improve their strength and physical fitness, diminish the severity of therapy side effects, develop supportive relationships and improve their quality of life. The program launched in 2007 as a partnership between the Livestrong Foundation and YMCA of the USA and is available at more than 400 locations, having served more than 29,000 survivors to date.
“With a presence in 10,000 communities across the country, the Y is one of the few organizations with the ability to reach cancer survivors wherever they live,” said Matt Longjohn, National Health Officer, YMCA of the USA. “Livestrong at the YMCA has helped thousands of people reclaim their health in a safe and supportive environment and this study further proves the program works.”
About the Livestrong Foundation
The Livestrong Foundation fights to improve the lives of people affected by cancer now. For 18 years, the Foundation has been a voice for cancer survivors and has directly served more than three million people. Livestrong answers survivors’ questions, tells their stories and helps them live their lives through direct service, advocacy and inventive partnership models. In 2014, the Foundation launched its boldest enterprise yet—the Livestrong Cancer Institutes at the Dell Medical School at The University of Texas at Austin. The Institutes will be a pioneering approach to patient-centered cancer care designed by survivors to deliver the best teaching practices and the greatest collaborative research to serve the cancer community.
If anyone you know needs cancer support, please visit Livestrong.org/WeCanHelp. For more information about our programs and services, please visit Livestrong.org.
About Dana Farber Cancer Institute
Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, a principal teaching affiliate of Harvard Medical School, is world-renowned for its leadership in adult and pediatric cancer treatment and research. Designated as a comprehensive cancer center by the National Cancer Institute (NCI), it is one of the largest recipients among independent hospitals of NCI and National Institutes of Health grant funding. For more information, go to www.dana-farber.org.
About Yale Cancer Center
Yale Cancer Center (YCC) is one of only 41 National Cancer Institute (NCI)-designated comprehensive cancer centers in the nation and the only such center in Connecticut. Comprehensive cancer centers play a vital role in the advancement of the NCI’s goal of reducing morbidity and mortality from cancer through scientific research, cancer prevention, and innovative cancer treatment. www.yalecancercenter.org
About the Y
The Y is one of the nation’s leading nonprofits strengthening communities through youth development, healthy living and social responsibility. Across the U.S., 2,700 Ys engage 22 million men, women and children – regardless of age, income or background – to nurture the potential of children and teens, improve the nation’s health and well-being, and provide opportunities to give back and support neighbors. Anchored in more than 10,000 communities, the Y has the long-standing relationships and physical presence not just to promise, but to deliver, lasting personal and social change. ymca.net