Noel McCaffrey is a sports and exercise medicine specialist. He developed and directed the Dublin City University-based MedEx programme over a 10 year and has now left DCU to lead the national roll-out of this programme, rebranded as ExWell Medical. He graduated from UCD Medical School in 1983 and studied Sports Medicine in London 1986-88. He also worked in UCD Medical School from 1990-1996 developing and directing a new MSc Sports and Exercise Medicine Programme. He is a Foundation Fellow of the Faculty of Sports and Exercise Medicine, director of a private sports injury clinic and also runs a musculoskeletal injury clinic in Cappagh National Orthopaedic Hospital. ExWell Medical offers supervised exercise programmes to patients with diverse chronic illnesses on referral from health care professionals. A key component of the MedEx Service is exercise for cancer patients at all phases of the cancer journey.

Abstract:
COMMUNITY-BASED EXERCISE IN CANCER SURVIVORSHIP

Exercise has an important role in cancer management, at all stages of the cancer survivorship pathway. This paper will present the rationale for and experience of offering exercise programmes to 3 cancer cohorts over a period of 8 years. The first programme caters for people during or shortly after completing primary treatment (chemo-radiotherapy, surgery). The second offers intense exercise to patients preparing for (and recovering from) curative cancer surgery for diverse cancers, including colo-rectal, prostate, lung and oesophageal / upper GI). The third provides a gentle exercise offering for patients with advanced cancer. The challenges and benefits for each group are discussed and participant testimonials are presented. The core principles of the ExWell are community-based location, supervised and home options, group experience where possible, low tech approach to prescription, monitoring and outcomes and equity of access.