REPORTING. "We are in a group, we laugh a lot" : at the Institut Curie, cancer patients follow adapted rugby training
You certainly knew that sport is one of the best ways to prevent cancer. It is even considered part of the treatment! But did you know that all sports are adaptable to illness? You can have cancer and for example play rugby, it’s even recommended! This is what the Curie Institute for the fight against cancer in Paris has set up.
It’s Sarah Corneille, the rugby coach, who leads the patients’ training. “We keep our ball in both hands… And we move on. Come on, girls!” Among the players, Cathy, 77, who had breast cancer surgery only nine months ago and yet wasn’t up for it at first: “Did I say rugby? Never! I don’t know any rules. At the age I am, I can’t see myself in it. I tried and I adopted! It’s an hour twice a week, so I think it’s great. At first I couldn’t run, I said ‘I can’t run, I’m terrible’. The coaches motivate us by saying ‘You’re not here for that, you do it at your own pace. We are in a group, we laugh a lot. And since then, I’ve been watching rugby matches.”
Here, it’s rugby adapted to patients, explains Sarah Corneille: “Tackle is replaced by touch. But there are still the backward passes, there is still the desire to score. It’s light rugby!” Cathy says she is less tired. It’s logical, explains Doctor Timothé Marchal: “Physical activity cleanses the body during cancer to counteract cancer-related fatigue. Patients feel better after several days or weeks. Sometimes it takes a little time. Yes, it is the best treatment currently for fatigue.” So a good fatigue.
Adapted sport gives as good results as chemotherapy after cancer, according to Dr Carole Bouleuc, head of the supportive care department at the Curie Institute: “It seems quite crazy to say it like that, but it is a reality proven in clinical studies: we observe an improvement in survival of almost 10%. And this 10% reduction is also what we obtain with adjuvant chemotherapy treatment.” Rugby, but also rowing or even fencing… All these sports are accessible during cancer treatment. It is enough, say doctors, to adapt the practice to the capabilities of the patients.
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