NEWSLETTER JANUARY 2026
From Vision to Reality: Integrating Exercise and Wellbeing Care Concepts in Oncology
From the editor
From Vision to Reality: Integrating Exercise and Wellbeing Care Concepts in Oncology
Exercise oncology is increasingly recognised for its transformative potential, yet its implementation as an essential component of cancer care remains incomplete. Despite robust evidence supporting the benefits of exercise for cancer patients, significant barriers persist – particularly regarding cost coverage, workforce shortages, and the need for certified exercise physiologists, physiotherapists, and kinesiologists. Political discussions continue over how best to finance and standardize exercise oncology services, with many programs still restricted to cancer rehabilitation settings and lacking broad insurance coverage. Without expanded funding and policy support, access to these interventions remains highly inequitable, often limited to the most well-resourced patients and institutions.
Integrated care in oncology – embedding exercise and rehabilitation within standard treatment pathways – faces organizational challenges such as a lack of infrastructure, resources, and trained personnel to deliver safe and effective programs. Prehabilitation and rehabilitation efforts are hampered by workforce shortages, with certified exercise professionals in short supply and collaboration between healthcare providers often inadequate. Studies must also be adapted to better reflect real-world settings and diverse patient populations, ensuring that exercise oncology interventions are accessible, equitable, and tailored to individual needs. Many current studies are conducted in controlled environments, and their findings may not translate seamlessly into everyday clinical practice, requiring further research and adaptation for broader applicability.
Integrative oncology, which combines conventional oncology with complementary therapies such as nutrition, yoga, mindfulness, and fascia-focused movement, offers a promising framework for holistic wellbeing. However, this approach requires not only evidence-based integration but also systemic changes to overcome barriers related to financing, workforce capacity, and interprofessional collaboration. The inclusion of fascia-focused exercise, such as myofascial release, dynamic stretching and yoga, can enhance flexibility, reduce pain, and support tissue repair, yet these interventions must be delivered by qualified professionals to ensure safety and efficacy. Fascia, the connective tissue network throughout the body, plays a crucial role in movement, pain regulation, and tissue repair. Recent research indicates that targeted fascia training can improve functional outcomes and patient comfort, bridging ancient movement traditions with modern scientific insights. Integrative care models also need to be carefully coordinated to ensure that complementary therapies do not conflict with conventional treatments and are delivered in a way that maximizes patient benefit and safety.
The autonomic nervous system balance plays a vital role in cancer care and wellbeing. The vagus nerve is a key component of the parasympathetic nervous system, regulating heart rate, digestion, and stress response. Balanced autonomic function supports resilience, reduces inflammation, and improves recovery. Exercise, mindfulness, and fascia-focused movement can stimulate vagal tone, promoting relaxation, reducing anxiety, and enhancing immune function. Integrating these strategies into oncology care helps optimize autonomic balance, supporting both physical and emotional wellbeing for patients throughout their cancer journey.
Ultimately, integrating exercise and wellbeing care concepts in oncology is still a work in progress. While the vision of holistic, patient-centered care is clear, the path to reality involves overcoming substantial political, financial, and workforce challenges. Expanding and adapting studies, securing funding, and training more certified professionals are essential steps toward making comprehensive exercise oncology a standard of care for all cancer patients. High-quality exercise oncology networks are essential to expand programs to all patients, even in rural regions, ensuring equitable access to evidence-based care. Only then can the promise of exercise and wellbeing care in oncology move from vision to reality, ensuring that every patient has access to the full spectrum of supportive, integrative, and evidence-based care. This transformation will not happen overnight, but with continued commitment, collaboration, and innovation, the future of oncology care can become more holistic, equitable, and truly patient-centered.
Dr. Stephanie Otto, Exercise Oncologist, Senior Scientist (PhD) at Comprehensive Cancer Center Ulm (CCCU), Ulm University Hospital
This month’s newsletter was co-edited and compiled by Edoardo Montin, a member of the EHFF.
Edoardo Montin, EHFF Member
About the integration of exercise oncology, emphasising interdisciplinary approaches and personalised models for cancer care
Recent reports and initiatives highlight significant advances in the integration of exercise oncology, emphasising interdisciplinary approaches and personalized models for cancer care. New frameworks focus on embedding exercise programs within standard oncology care, using multidisciplinary teams and tailored protocols to optimise patient outcomes across the cancer care continuum. If you want to learn more on the topic you can explore the following resources:
- Building the future of exercise oncology: current status of international workforce development and integration into standard cancer care (JNCI Monographs, Volume 2025, Issue 71, September 2025, Pages 334–343)
- Muscle Up for Cancer with Dr. Stephanie Otto, a podcast by Yes to Life.
Interdisciplinary Exercise Oncology
Multidisciplinary teams now routinely include physiotherapists (in the US also physiatrists, medical doctors who specialise in physical medicine and rehabilitation), exercise physiologists, sports scientists, and kinesiologists to ensure seamless integration of exercise and rehabilitation into cancer care.
Recent studies advocate for expanding physiatry roles and utilising telehealth and community-based programs to reach underserved populations and improve access to exercise interventions.
At least three key reports and reviews have been published in 2025 on the topic of Exercise Oncology:
- A scoping review of exercise oncology trials to inform best practice recommendations for exercise in older adults (65+ years) living with and beyond cancer (Journal of Geriatric Oncology, Volume 16, Issue 7, September 2025, 102334). By 2040, 24% of all cancer survivors will be ages 65–74, 31% will be ages 75–84, and 18% will be 85 and older, but our healthcare system may not be prepared to meet the needs of this growing population of older survivors. Exercise could provide a low-cost, accessible, and efficacious strategy to improve functioning and quality of life for this growing population.
- Structured Exercise after Adjuvant Chemotherapy for Colon Cancer (New England Journal of Medicine, June 1, 2025, VOL. 393 NO). The most recent high‑impact “key report”, published in The New England Journal of Medicine, is the phase III CHALLENGE trial showing that structured exercise after adjuvant chemotherapy improves disease‑free and overall survival in stage III/high‑risk II colon cancer, complemented by a 2025 meta‑analysis quantifying survival benefits across major cancers.
- Personalized exercise programs in oncology (Oncology Reviews, 12 September 2025). Exercise is increasingly recognized as a safe and effective adjunct therapy across the cancer care continuum, offering improvements in physiological function, psychological wellbeing, and treatment outcomes.
If you would like to connect with professionals dedicated to exercise oncology, the International Society of Exercise Oncology (ISEO) is hosting its Inaugural Conference on 22–23 July 2026 in Heidelberg, Germany.
Fascia Health and Cancer
Fascia training is being explored as a complementary approach to standard physical therapy with emerging evidence highlighting fascia’s involvement in tumor microenvironments through inflammation, fibrosis, and stiffness. Observational studies have been shown benefits for fatigue in cancer patients, especially those undergoing intensive treatments like hematopoietic stem cell transplantation. Listen to this podcast to explore this topic in more detail:
Research in fascia biology is connecting body-based therapies (e.g., yoga, massage) to symptom management and quality of life improvements in cancer patients, highlighting fascia’s regulatory role in health and disease. A pending review on the role of fascia in oncology will discuss future treatment options.
- Otto S, Klingler W. Is there a link between fascia and cancer? From potential mechanisms to future treatment options. 2026 Front. Physiol. Sec. Exercise Physiology (special edition, invited, under review).
These developments reflect a growing consensus that interdisciplinary, evidence-based models integrating exercise and fascia health are essential for improving outcomes and quality of life in cancer care.
To deepen your understanding of fascia, discover the Fascia Research Society (FRS), a global organisation that brings together clinicians, researchers, and academics to promote collaboration and advance knowledge on the properties and functions of fascia.
Integrated Models and Initiatives
Implementation science is increasingly used to overcome barriers to integrating exercise services into oncology, with new programs focusing on routine impairment screening and triage to rehabilitation services.
Novel interdisciplinary approaches include cardiopulmonary exercise stress testing and individualized exercise prescriptions, which are designed to adapt treatment regimens and prevent cardiotoxicity.
The European Week Against Cancer features EU-funded projects aiming to improve the quality of life for cancer patients through integrated exercise and rehabilitation initiatives. Other relevant activities will take place on the 4 February thanks to the World Cancer Day initiative.
Upcoming events
One Health, One Vision: Advancing Europe’s Health Security
The conference will take place following Denmark’s EU Presidency, building on the political momentum it generated around One Health, AMR, and health security. It offers a timely opportunity to advance coordinated European efforts and encourage renewed policy innovation at the EU level.
The conference will take place on the 3rd February 2026, between 4pm to 6pm CET, at the European Parliament (Rue Wiertz 60, 1047,Brussels).
World Cancer Day
Every year on 4 February, people around the world come together to mark World Cancer Day. Cancer touches millions of lives in countless ways but it doesn’t define who we are. We are more than a disease, more than a statistic. The World Cancer Day campaign 2025-27 “United by Unique” places people at the centre of care and explores new ways of making a difference. It offers a three-year journey from raising awareness to taking action.
Time for Democracy?
The European Health Futures Forum, the Nordic Wellbeing Academy and the Healthcare Futurists invite you to a network meeting and ‘Prequel Workshop’.
We will bring interdisciplinary academic experts and young professionals together to identify core challenges that need to be mastered to strengthen trust and empowerment in healthcare and education, and thus would strengthen trust in our democracies.
Read more here – or contact Edoardo Montin for more information.
Harnessing technology to tackle alcohol harm
Join a freewheeling live online expert discussion on the potential for AI to assist in tackling alcohol harm, one of the world’s most pressing public health issues. It is the centrepiece of AR2026, an annual online event showcasing all the latest cutting-edge developments in the field.
The conference will be held online by the Alcohol Review on the 26th March 2026.
Meet new members
Announcements from EHFF
Future Research Master Class
The Master Class for Proposal Writing is a hybrid training and community-building initiative designed to strengthen capacity for successful participation in EU-funded projects.
This initiative is launched as part of the European Health Futures Forum (EHFF), leveraging its network to identify potential partners and participants and enabling the creation of a proposal writing community of practice and academy of peers.
First session will take place in April 2026 – with the concluding, physical event to take place in July 2026.
OnHome Alliance Call to Action
In a connected Europe, no patient should face interruptions in access to the treatment essential to their well-being, especially the medicines they have been prescribed, regardless of their location, ability to travel, or unforeseen changes in their health.
Online access to prescription medicines through registered online pharmacies has been a safe and secure reality in eight EU Member States (as well as Iceland, Norway, Switzerland and the SUK) for many years now. However, this means that 19 Member States currently deny their citizens this benefit, thereby preventing patients from having the freedom to choose how to obtain their medication. This stands in contrast with the online access to non-prescription medicine (OTC), which has been authorised by law in all EU Member States since 2015.
The Online Order and Home Delivery of Medicines Alliance (OnHOME) is a group of patient organisations and healthcare stakeholders determined to advocate for all Member States to allow their patients the choice to obtain their prescription medicines online and get them delivered at home by registered pharmacies.
We therefore call on EU policymakers to:
- Recognise digital access to prescription medicines as a core pillar of continuity of care, cross-border health access, and healthcare system resilience.
- Encourage Member States to remove outdated restrictions — no longer aligned with current practices or technological advancements — that prevent patients from obtaining medicines safely online from registered pharmacies, with home delivery, coupled with safe pharmaceutical advice.
- Ensure EU-wide interoperability through the EHDS and EU Digital Identity Wallet so that patients can access and manage their prescriptions wherever they are.
- Promote telepharmacy services to increase access to remote professional pharmacy care and relieve pressure on the healthcare workforce.
- Build public trust by educating patients on safe digital access options and the EU Common Logo for registered e-pharmacies.
Engage with the OnHOME Alliance and learn more about their initiatives. Contact Mike Isles for further information: mike.isles@asop.eu
Radical Health Festival – closing the gender gaps in health
16-18 September
At the recent Radical Health Festival in Helsinki, our EHFF Working Group for Women’s Health helped build a creative double fishbowl workshop to foster dialogue and inspiration that can close gender gaps in health and bring a future with more attention to women’s health in practice, research, strategies, and policies.
The festival had quite a lot active EHFF members in the programm Karolina Mackiewicz, Kateryna Ostrovska, Nina Soenderberg and Lars Münter in the fishbowl, but also:
– Agathe Acchiardo on progress on ageing, longevity, and meaningful lives.
– Charles Alessi to precision health & AI.
– Karolina Mackiewicz also in the innovation village and debate on procurement.
– Terje Peetso about both AI and creating lasting citizens engagement.
– Lars Münter also on healthy cities for NCDs.
– And Pascal Lardier was of course front and center in pulling all the strings that made the festival a festival.
– And Dmitry Titkov was part of the social programme (always important!).
We will soon share more results from the event and use them in building additional events and initiatives.
HERO Academy & HEX Vanguards
We’re delighted to spotlight an exciting educational innovation from EHFF member HERO Academy — the HEX Vanguards initiative, a strengths-based programme at the intersection of sport science, wellbeing, and digital creativity.
At the heart of this work is the HEX Vanguards App, currently in development, along with an engaging physi-digital serious game that blends physical activity with immersive digital interaction. These tools are designed to support mental resilience, physical wellbeing, and inclusive learning for young people — especially those who are underserved, disengaged, or navigating challenges to participation in education or sport.
In support of this mission, HERO Academy is launching a multidisciplinary internship programme and seeking motivated students and recent graduates across areas such as game design, 3D art, UX/UI design, sport science, psychology, research and evaluation, and social-impact communications.
Interns will gain hands-on experience building solutions that contribute real value to youth wellbeing and the wider health innovation ecosystem.
To learn more or apply, send a message to the HERO Academy team. Let’s empower the next generation of innovators!
contact@unlockingminds.se
Stay Tuned and Take Action
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EHFF