Dr Oliver Schumacher.
Cancer Council WA has awarded ECU's Dr Oliver Schumacher its highly-regarded Postdoctoral Fellowship, for work which may soon change how we treat cancer patients.
The Fellowship looks to encourage and acknowledge the best and brightest early career cancer researchers and will see Dr Schumacher receive $225,000 over the next three years.
Based at ECU's Exercise Medicine Research Institute, Dr Schumacher is investigating the effects of exercise on tumours, and how exercise may improve the delivery and effectiveness of common anti-cancer treatments such as chemotherapy and radiotherapy.
He has found exercise mitigates urinary toxicity in men with prostate cancer undergoing radiotherapy.
Dr Schumacher is investigating whether short bouts of exercise prior to radiotherapy can make treatment more efficient by improving tumour blood flow.
"Radiotherapy is one of the main treatment options for prostate cancer, however the biology of prostate tumours is complex," he said.
"Many of the blood vessels surrounding the tumours are abnormally developed, limiting the ability to deliver oxygen to some parts of the tumour.
This lack of oxygen is seen as a major limiting factor in the effectiveness of radiotherapy, with low levels of oxygen making cancer cells more resistant to the treatment.
"Moreover, this reduced oxygenation of tumours is also associated with the growth and spread of cancers, ultimately contributing to treatment resistance, cancer progression and mortality."
Dr Schumacher said patients may also experience side effects from treatment which negatively affects their quality of life.
"I will first examine if a single exercise session can improve tumour blood flow and oxygenation," he said.
"In addition, I will examine the long-term effects of exercise training over the course of radiotherapy on tumour blood flow and oxygenation as well as whether exercise can reduce treatment-related side effects such as bladder and bowel symptoms."
Dr Schumacher said if successful, the impact of the results could be "enormous".
"Reducing urinary side effects addresses a major issue for prostate cancer patients. Furthermore, by demonstrating the effects of exercise on tumour blood flow and oxygenation, I hope to highlight exercise as a low-cost therapy that can enhance the effectiveness of cancer treatment.
"This approach could change best practice in radiation oncology."
