Breast Cancer Survivors, Common Markers of Inflammation, and Exercise: A Narrative Review

Abstract

Exercise may help positively improve inflammatory marker levels, therefore promoting better outcomes in breast cancer survivors. This narrative review is intended to provide an overview between inflammation and breast cancer, in addition to the effects exercise may have on common inflammatory markers that have been examined in both healthy populations and breast cancer survivors throughout the literature. The inconsistencies and gaps in the literature addressed may be important for future research to further understand the relationship between exercise and inflammation, as well as the underlying biological mechanisms that are responsible for these changes. For the purpose of organization, this review is structured into the following sections: (1) Breast Cancer Facts, Treatment-Related Side Effects, and General Exercise Benefits; (2) Effects of Exercise on Markers of Inflammation in Cancer-Free Populations; (3) Cancer and Markers of Inflammation; (4) Effects of Exercise on Markers of Inflammation in Breast Cancer Survivors; and (5) Conclusions.