Anyone who knows the fatigue associated with breast cancer treatment understands that when it comes to daily activity, it's not uncommon to weigh which is more important each afternoon — taking a walk or taking a nap.

Kim Dittus should know. A physician-researcher at the Vermont Cancer Center at UVM/Fletcher Allen, Dittus not only faced these choices during her own brush with breast cancer 2 years ago, she felt she had to prove to herself — and to her patients — that she could be active during her own radiation therapy.

An avid exerciser and mother of two young boys, Dittus says what keeps her thriving now, as always, is staying active. While it may seem counter-intuitive, being active has been shown in research studies to effectively battle the exhaustion that so often accompanies cancer treatment. One of the most common complaints Dittus hears from her cancer patients going through therapy, in fact, is how tired they are. Her message for them is always to "get moving" — literally.

Examining movement as a form of medicine is also central to Dittus' current research. "Patients often come to therapy as active adults," she says, "but their strength is knocked down by the treatment needed to beat the cancer." Her work, which builds on that conducted by Philip Ades, MD, UVM professor of Medicine and cardiologist at Fletcher Allen, looks at cancer patients' daily function and aims to help them do more targeted therapy to regain the ability to do typical activities at home.

"Being active," she adds, "also allows patients to have some control over their own lives. They sleep better, and by exercising, they're contributing to their care."

Dittus will speak on the subject of exercise as a method of relieving fatigue during cancer treatment during Session 5.2.