Cancer Exercise Training for Health & Fitness Professionals

THE MOST CURRENT EVIDENCE-BASED ONCOLOGY EXERCISE TRAINING WORLDWIDE

Expand Your Skills as a CES and elevate your career with the most comprehensive cancer exercise training program in the world.

In 2025, there were an estimated 20 million new cancer diagnoses worldwide — and that number is accelerating. Today, more than 53 million people globally are living beyond a cancer diagnosis, and by 2050, annual new cases are projected to reach 35 million. 1 in 5 people will be diagnosed with cancer at some point in their lifetime.

“Cancer can strip you of everything- hair, body parts, strength, endurance, hope, finances, relationships, job, self-esteem, and self-confidence.” – Andrea Leonard

As a health and fitness professional, you can EMPOWER patients and survivors at all stages of the cancer journey. You can help them reclaim control of their minds and their bodies through individualized oncology exercise programming. Here’s how:

Cancer Prevention

Physical activity is linked to reduced rates of certain cancers. Exercise has many biological effects on the body including:

Lowering the levels of sex hormones, such as estrogen, and growth factors that have been associated with cancer development and progression
Preventing high blood levels of insulin, which has been linked to cancer development and progression
Reducing inflammation
Improving immune system function
Altering the metabolism of bile acids, decreasing exposure of the gastrointestinal tract to these suspected carcinogens
Reducing the time it takes for food to travel through the digestive system, minimizing the time that potential carcinogens are in contact with the mucosal lining of the stomach
Helping to prevent obesity, which is a risk factor for many cancers as well as cancer co-morbidities

Before Treatment Begins

Physical activity can help improve overall health status and prepare patients mentally and physically for the difficult journey ahead of them.

During Treatment

Physical activity helps to minimize cancer-related adverse effects and has a beneficial effect on the whole body. Benefits include, but are not limited to:

Minimizes treatment-related side effects, such as mental and physical fatigue, peripheral neuropathy, lymphedema, osteoporosis, diabetes, damage to the heart and lungs, and nausea
Minimizes depression and anxiety
Improves mobility and the ability to perform activities of daily living (ADL’s)
Improves balance and reduces fall-related injuries
Prevent cancer cachexia (muscle loss) and increase overall strength
Decreases weight gain and obesity, which may increase the risk of future cancers and co-morbidities such as lymphedema, diabetes, and heart disease
Improved sleep which is critical for healing
Improved treatment efficacy

Improve survival rates for certain cancers, (breast and colorectal cancer)
Improve quality of life, self-confidence, and self-esteem

Immediate Recovery

Physical activity following cancer surgery and treatment can help patients return to their previous fitness level or, in many cases, even better!

Improved shoulder range of motion (ROM) following mastectomy for breast cancer and head and neck cancer surgery
Corrects muscle imbalances due to surgery and radiation that can lead to pain, joint degeneration, and injury
Quicker return to normal activities and work

Increased stamina and ability to perform activities of daily living (ADL’s)
Improve quality of life, self-confidence, and self-esteem

Long-term Survival

Multiple studies show that regular physical activity is linked to increased life expectancy after a diagnosis of cancer, in many cases by decreasing the risk of cancer recurrence.

The American Cancer Society, the World Cancer Research Fund, the American Institute for Cancer Research, the American College of Sports Medicine, and the US Department of Health and Human Services all advocate physical activity for cancer patients and survivors.

One prospective study of patients with breast cancer found that women who exercised for two and a half hours per week after they had been diagnosed had a 67 percent lower risk of death compared with patients who did not exercise.

A study of patients treated for stage III colorectal cancer found that among those who remained cancer-free six months after surgery and chemotherapy, physical activity reduced the risk of colorectal cancer subsequently returning or causing death.

So What is The Challenge?

Cancer patients and survivors are less active than the general population. It may be due to pain, fear of pain, or lack of resources.

One thing is for certain – there are not enough trained health and fitness professionals who have the training and expertise to work safely and effectively with cancer patients and survivors.

If you’ve ever considered working with the cancer and aging population, perhaps you’ve wondered:

What credentials do I need to work with special needs clients?
What are the liabilities?
What are the recommendations and guidelines for working with cancer survivors and those with chronic conditions?
How can I customize those guidelines to work for each client?
What are the risks I need to be aware of?
How do I conduct an effective assessment before we begin?
What do I need to know about each type of cancer or condition?
How will current treatments affect my recommendations?
What is appropriate at different stages of the cancer and chronic disease journey?
How can I help my clients build healthy habits & exercise behaviors that stick?

Don’t take unnecessary risks with cancer patients/survivors and clients with chronic conditions. Let us provide you with the most current and evidence-based education to create safe and effective action plans.

You will get the tools, confidence, and support of the global leader in cancer and aging exercise education.

OncoVie® Cancer Exercise Specialist Advanced Qualification

The OncoVie® Cancer Exercise Specialist Advanced Qualification is the most comprehensive, clinically rigorous oncology exercise certification available to health and fitness professionals anywhere in the world – and it’s the credential that will transform not just your practice, but the lives of every cancer patient and survivor you serve.

The Gold Standard. Since 2004.

Since its founding, the Cancer Exercise Training Institute has trained more cancer exercise specialists worldwide than any other organization. The OncoVie® Cancer Exercise Specialist is recognized globally as the gold standard in oncology exercise education – trusted by hospitals, integrative oncology programs, and medical fitness facilities across 60 countries. When the medical community needs a fitness professional they can trust with their patients, they look for this credential.

Built for Professionals Who Demand More

This program was designed for health and fitness professionals who are ready to go beyond the basics – to move from good to exceptional, from generalist to specialist, and from the gym floor to the clinical frontlines of cancer survivorship care.

Whether you’re a personal trainer, yoga instructor, Pilates practitioner, aquatics professional, or group fitness coach, the OncoVie® program will elevate your expertise and open doors that general fitness certifications simply can’t.

What You’ll Master

This isn’t a survey course. This is deep, clinically grounded education that prepares you to work confidently with cancer patients from diagnosis through active treatment, post-surgical recovery, reconstruction, and long-term survivorship.

You’ll gain expertise across 26 cancer types plus pediatric oncology, with special emphasis on breast cancer and breast reconstruction — and you’ll walk away knowing exactly how to apply that knowledge with every client, in every setting.

Inside the curriculum, you’ll learn to:

Understand the full cancer continuum — from surgical intervention and chemotherapy to radiation protocols, reconstructive procedures, and survivorship — so you can program with precision at every stage
Identify and manage lymphedema risk: implement appropriate lymphatic drainage protocols and progress exercise safely for every client
Recognize acute and chronic treatment side effects and design programming that works with the body’s response to treatment — not against it
Conduct a comprehensive clinical assessment including postural analysis, goniometric measurements, Trendelenburg Test, Modified Thomas Test, and more — the assessment toolkit that separates a CES from every other fitness professional in the room
Create safe, individualized, and effective programming for in-person and virtual training, individual and group settings, across modalities including Personal Training, Yoga, Pilates, Aquatics, and Group Exercise
Understand the role of nutrition and alcohol intake in cancer prevention and recovery — and how to counsel clients accordingly
Navigate the psychological landscape of cancer – the stages of grief, the emotional weight of diagnosis, and what it truly means to support a client and their caregivers – so you can show up as more than a trainer

And because cancer care evolves, so does this curriculum. All coursework is reviewed and updated every two years, ensuring you always have access to the most current, evidence-based material in the field.

Approved for Continuing Education from: ACE, AFAA, Canfitpro, CIMSPA, DRD Puerto Rico, ESSA, ISSA, NASM, NPCP, NSCA, and more.

The Credential That Opens Doors

Earning the OncoVie® Cancer Exercise Specialist Advanced Qualification signals something that no general fitness certification can: that you are clinically prepared, professionally committed, and ready to serve one of the most underserved and fastest-growing populations in healthcare.

Hospitals refer to OncoVie® specialists. Oncologists trust them. Survivors seek them out.

This is the credential that puts you in that room.

Upon course completion, you will have an in-depth understanding of the entire cancer process from diagnosis through treatment and recovery. You will have the confidence to design and prescribe individualized, safe, and effective exercise programs for cancer patients and survivors as an OncoVie® Cancer Exercise Specialist.

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