Strength Training During Chemotherapy in Women with Breast Cancer and Its Impact on Blood Immune Proteins and Muscle Recycling Processes

Strength training during chemotherapy resulted in an increase in IL-6 from 1.21 ± 0.47 to 1.69 ± 0.71 pg/mL among women with breast cancer.

• IL-17 levels also increased in the strength training group, rising from 1.24 ± 0.25 to 2.18 ± 0.87 pg/mL.
• In contrast, both IL-6 and IL-17 levels decreased in the usual care group.
• No statistically significant change was found in IFN-γ levels, which increased from 14.4 ± 8.6 to 28.8 ± 17.3 pg/mL.
• No differences were observed in other cytokines or in skeletal muscle autophagy- and heat-shock-related proteins.
• Exploratory analyses revealed no associations between changes in muscle strength, cardiorespiratory fitness, or capillary density and cytokine levels.
• The clinical and mechanistic significance of the observed cytokine changes remains uncertain and warrants further investigation.

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