Why the Future of Exercise Oncology Has Never Felt More Exciting: Learnings from ISEO

This week I had the privilege of attending the inaugural International Society of Exercise Oncology (ISEO) Conference in Heidelberg, Germany.

I was there representing both Get Me Back and The Cancer Movement, our new not-for-profit organisation working to make trusted, practical movement guidance accessible to everyone affected by cancer.

It was also wonderful to have Sarah Green, our Pilates instructor also attending the conference too. It was fantastic to share the experience together, learn from experts from around the world and bring fresh ideas back to our community.

As the very first official ISEO conference, there was a real sense that we were part of something special. Bringing together researchers, oncologists, physiotherapists, immunologists, nurses, Cancer Exercise Specialists and healthcare professionals from across the globe, it felt like a milestone for our profession and a sign of just how quickly this field is evolving.

Learning from the people who shaped exercise oncology

One of the highlights was hearing from some of the people whose research has shaped modern exercise oncology, including Dr Kathryn Schmitz (Moving Through Cancer) and Professor Rob Newton (My Exercise Medicine).

These are names I've been reading in research papers for years, so sitting in the audience listening to them discuss the future of cancer care was both inspiring and reassuring.

But what struck me most wasn't necessarily a single presentation. It was the collective feeling throughout the conference.

For many years, the focus has been on answering one important question:

Does exercise help people affected by cancer?

The answer is now overwhelmingly YES!

The evidence supporting exercise before, during and after cancer treatment continues to grow stronger every year. What has changed is the conversation. Instead of asking whether exercise works, researchers and clinicians are now asking:

How do we make sure every person affected by cancer has access to it?

That feels like a huge shift following the results from the CHALLENGE trial in 2025.

From research to real life

One of the recurring themes throughout the conference was implementation. We now have an incredible evidence base. The challenge is helping healthcare professionals confidently talk about exercise, making it easy for patients to know where to start, and ensuring support is available when people need it.

As someone who works directly with people affected by cancer every day, that message really resonated. People rarely ask for an exercise programme.

Instead they ask:

"I'm exhausted. What should I do?"

"I've just finished treatment. Where do I begin?"

"I'm worried about making things worse."

Those are the questions we need to answer.

It reinforced something we've always believed at Get Me Back, that exercise support needs to be practical, reassuring and relevant to where someone is in their own journey.

The conversations that matter

Some of the most valuable learning actually happened between the presentations. Over coffee, during walks between sessions and around the dinner table, we had the opportunity to speak with researchers, physiotherapists and clinicians from all over the world.

What was encouraging was how often the conversations came back to the same themes.

How do we help people navigate the growing amount of information? And make sense of it all?

How do we make movement part of routine cancer care rather than an optional extra?

How do we work together to make support easier to access?

It was exciting to hear so many people thinking in similar ways and looking towards the future rather than simply celebrating how far we've already come.

What this means for Get Me Back

Every conference influences how I think about the support we provide, but this one felt particularly important. It reinforced that while the science continues to advance, our role is to translate that evidence into something people can actually use in everyday life.

That means continuing to provide expert guidance, building confidence, adapting exercise around treatment and side effects, and helping people discover that movement really can become part of life after a cancer diagnosis.

You'll almost certainly see some of the ideas from this conference finding their way into our classes, programmes and resources over the coming months. That's one of my favourite parts of attending events like this—bringing the latest thinking straight back to our community.

Looking ahead

I came away from Heidelberg feeling incredibly proud to represent both Get Me Back and The Cancer Movement.

When I was diagnosed with cancer, exercise wasn't routinely discussed as part of treatment. Today, there are hundreds of passionate people from around the world working together to change that.

Perhaps my biggest takeaway was hearing Dr Kathryn Schmitz describe this next chapter as a 'movement'. That couldn't have felt more fitting.

There is a real sense that exercise oncology is entering a new era. One where movement is becoming recognised as an essential part of cancer care rather than an optional extra.

Standing alongside so many people dedicated to improving the lives of those affected by cancer left me feeling inspired, optimistic and genuinely excited about what lies ahead.

The future of exercise oncology has never felt brighter, and I can't wait to bring everything we've learnt back to the Get Me Back community.