Dr Carolyn McIntyre believes exercise can improve outcomes for sufferers of the deadly lung cancer.
Camera IconDr Carolyn McIntyre believes exercise can improve outcomes for sufferers of the deadly lung cancer. Credit: Supplied/Emma Goodwin        www.communitypix.com.au d435693

Study making moves on mesothelioma

Emily BakerWestern Suburbs Weekly

Dr McIntyre, from Edith Cowan University Joondalup, received a $225,000 Cancer Council WA Postdoctoral Fellowship to investigate exercise as medicine in the management of people living with the deadly lung cancer.

Dr McIntyre said exercise had already been shown to be very effective in improving the health of patients with lung and other types of cancer but the funding would allow a specific focus on mesothelioma patients.

"It provides the opportunity to bridge two research groups to combine expertise with the goal of finding out how we can use exercise to improve the lives of patients with mesothelioma; which has never been looked at before," Dr McIntyre said.

"This Cancer Council WA funding is critical in allowing me to pursue research full-time with the guidance of high-quality mentors from two internationally renowned WA cancer research groups."

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In WA, the rate of people diagnosed with mesothelioma is considered the highest in the world, with 80 men and 14 women diagnosed in 2013.

Dr McIntyre said she hoped a tailored exercise program would promote muscle strength, mobility and confidence in patients, which will hopefully lead to improvements in quality of life.

"Given the burden of mesothelioma in WA, this work will influence clinical practice in addressing the substantial unmet needs of this cancer population."