People undergoing treatment for cancer and survivors of cancer may have disease or treatment-specific obstacles to exercise training. The side effects of anti-cancer therapy are often permanent; amputations cause permanent disability; radiation and chemotherapy can cause permanent scar formation in the joints, the lung, and the heart tissues; and drug-induced cardiomyopathies usually cause a permanent limitation on cardiovascular function. Many cancer survivors can reap rewards from exercise training, because many of the benefits occur in skeletal muscle and in psychological status.

The usual precautions and contraindications for exercise should be followed. The following are the absolute and relative indications for terminating an exercise test or an exercise session as defined by the ACSM (2000).