Anne has been working as a group leader for the Lifestyle and Cancer Survivorship Care research group at the Netherlands Cancer Institute since May 1st. She combines this role with her work as a professor of clinical epidemiology of cancer survivorship and director of research at the Julius Center, University Medical Center Utrecht (UMCU). She specializes in lifestyle interventions for people with cancer and specifically investigates the role physical activity and exercise can play in reducing the side effects of cancer treatments, improving quality of life, and enhancing prognosis. She has conducted a significant portion of her research in collaboration with the research group of Martijn Stuiver, a clinical epidemiologist at the NKI, and she now aims to strengthen this partnership even further.
"(Inter)national guidelines recommend that cancer patients engage in aerobic exercise three times a week during and after their treatment, at a moderate to high intensity. It's recommended to combine this with strength training twice a week. Exercise therapy involves a structured program, led by an oncology-trained physiotherapist, designed to prevent or reduce side effects."
"There is strong evidence that exercise reduces fatigue in patients undergoing treatment, and has positive effects on their physical function, feelings of anxiety and depression, and quality of life. In the EU-funded PREFERABLE-EFFECT study, we investigated whether this also applies to patients with metastatic cancer for the first time. Women with metastatic breast cancer participated in an exercise intervention for nine months, under the supervision of an oncology-trained physiotherapist.
Compared to the control group, the women who participated in the intervention experienced significantly less fatigue, shortness of breath, and pain. Their quality of life improved significantly in physical, social, and work-related areas. One woman who participated in the study had previously avoided the bus because she couldn’t get in and out. After completing the program, she could ride the bus again and became more active in her daily life. Another participant was fit enough to play with her grandchildren again. We even found the program to be cost-effective. This shows that exercise therapy can have a significant impact on many aspects of life for people with cancer."
"When I began researching exercise interventions for cancer patients, the benefits were not very well-known yet among healthcare providers or patients. There is now more awareness of the positive effects of exercise on the health of cancer patients, but this understanding has not yet reached everyone. Not every patient receives exercise recommendations as part of their treatment plan.
Exercise is often seen as secondary, not as an integral part of cancer treatments, which means it remains outside the scope of the oncologist. We have just launched a website with information on the importance of exercise in cancer for patients and healthcare providers. I invite all healthcare providers at the Netherlands Cancer Institute to contact me if they have any questions about exercise in cancer care."
"The issue is that exercise therapy isn't something you can buy off the shelf. There is no industry or marketing behind it. It’s probably easier to prescribe a pill than an exercise program. Exercise therapy is unfortunately not covered by basic insurance in the Netherlands either. This may deter physicians and healthcare providers from recommending exercise, as patients will have to pay for it themselves unless they receive (partial) reimbursement through supplementary insurance.
There also tends to be a lack of knowledge about exercise and lifestyle in general. I am working to make sure that information on physical activity, exercise, and cancer is included in all professional education programs and that it is addressed in the training of physicians and other healthcare providers. I also advocate for the inclusions of exercise therapy in the basic insurance package."
"Most of the data on exercise therapy comes from studies on women with breast cancer. I want to work with Martijn and our research group to study how exercise therapy can help people with rare cancer types, and find out more about the underlying mechanisms of the positive effects. Additionally, I aim to address other lifestyle factors, such as nutrition and smoking, to create a more complete picture of the patient, which can support new research.
Another goal is to strengthen the collaboration between NKI and UMCU research groups in the field of lifestyle and clinical cancer epidemiology. One such example is the international LION study, funded by Horizon Europe, which investigates the effect of an online exercise program on quality of life after cancer treatment. Patients from all over the country can participate from home, with training led via Zoom by the Netherlands Cancer Institute, so they don’t have to travel or worry about infection risks."
"It will probably not surprise you that I love sports and physical activity. I try to do as much as I can by bike, and I also enjoy running, skiing, and (mountain) hiking. Since I am originally from Bavaria, I sometimes miss the mountains now that I live in the Netherlands. However, I enjoy living here with my husband and two children, although our son is now in university and no longer lives at home."