Exercise Motivation and Quality of Life in Cancer Survivors: The Impact of Exercise Intervention

Cancer survivors often experience physical decline, fatigue, and reduced quality of life (QoL) following cancer treatment. Exercise is an important strategy in survivorship care; however, the role of exercise motivation in sustaining exercise behavior and improving QoL remains unclear. This study evaluated the effects of a structured exercise intervention on QoL, fatigue, and exercise motivation among cancer survivors.

This single-arm longitudinal pre-post-intervention study recruited adult cancer survivors (median age: 55 years) with heterogeneous cancer types from E-Da Hospital, Taiwan, between October 2023 and July 2024. Participants completed a 3-month supervised exercise program consisting of weekly 60 min sessions that included aerobic, resistance, balance, and flexibility training. Assessments were conducted at baseline, immediately after the intervention, and at a 3-month follow-up. Outcome measures included physical fitness tests, fatigue scales, and the European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life Questionnaire (EORTC QLQ-C30), and the Relative Autonomy Index for exercise motivation.

Thirty-nine participants completed the study. Improvements in several QoL domains were observed at the 3-month follow-up, particularly in physical and emotional functioning. Pain and fatigue symptoms decreased following the intervention, although some fatigue indicators increased again during follow-up. Female participants showed greater improvements in certain physical fitness measures. Intrinsic exercise motivation increased after the intervention, and greater motivation gains were associated with larger improvements in QoL.

Participation in a structured exercise program may be associated with improvements in QoL, fatigue symptoms, and exercise motivation among cancer survivors. However, given the single-arm design and small sample size, these findings should be interpreted cautiously. Larger randomized controlled studies are needed to confirm the long-term benefits of exercise interventions in cancer survivorship care.