Cancer Rx: Move?

"I cannot believe the way I walked in and the way I walked out," she said.

"I never believed I would get out of that slump," Wajts said. "Now I feel incredible."

One of her classmates, Joyce Murray of Hawthorne, N.J., had three surgeries in an eight-week period last summer, then chemotherapy with many complications. No amount of sleep could cure her fatigue, she said.

After she started the twice-weekly program of resistance training and cardiac fitness, "I was surprised at the quick rebound," she said. "I really feel better."

Angelo Chiusano, 81, joined the Y's program after 43 radiation treatments for prostate cancer and surgery for an aortic aneurysm. Thanks to the camaraderie in the weight room, "I've gained a new family," he said. "It's made such a difference in my feelings."

After doing the weight-resistance circuit in the gym each session, he swam. "Then, when I go home, I walk a mile," he said. He has continued his workouts even though the program has ended.

Researchers are working to understand how physical activity helps fight cancer. Their findings so far suggest that exercise:

· Reduces blood levels of insulin, a substance that causes cells to divide and grow more quickly. Women with high levels of insulin have a slightly higher risk of breast cancer and a much higher rate of recurrence.

· Helps repair infection-fighting T-cells, restoring the immune system after it has been damaged by chemotherapy.