Those in nurse manager jobs should be urging their staff to 'prescribe' exercise to cancer patients in a bid to aid recovery.

A report from Macmillan Cancer Support suggests that regular exercise can "significantly aid their recovery and boost their long chances of remaining cancer free", an approach that directly opposes the traditional mantra of resting after therapy.

Ciaran Devane, Macmillan Cancer Support chief, hailed the evidence in the report, stating "just how important physical activity is to the recovery process of cancer."

According to the study, 50 per cent of practice nurses and 42 per cent of oncology nurses neglect to inform cancer patients about the benefits of physical activity - figures that could vastly improve if nurses highlighted the positives of exercise.

For example, women with breast cancer who actively perform moderate exercise for 150 minutes a week have a 40 per cent lower risk than those who are active for less than an hour a week. Exercise can reduce side effects such as swelling, anxiety, depressed, fatigue and changes to weight, according to Daily Mail.

Devane elaborates: "Yet very little attention to its benefits is given by health professionals of by those commissioning health services. It is essential that physical activity services are available and 'prescribed' to all cancer patients," he added.