After surgery for prostate cancer last year, Richard Glendening found himself at home with nothing to do but go to doctor appointments. "It was serendipity that I came across Stanford's Living Strong Living Well program," he recalled. After completing two eight-week sessions in this strength-training class for cancer patients and survivors, he felt fitter than ever.

"I can understand why cancer survivors climb mountains," Glendening said. "I feel I can. The classes showed me I shouldn't give up on myself just because I have cancer."

To help cancer patients regain some of their lost strength and to improve their quality of life, the Health Improvement Program at Stanford's Center for Research and Disease Prevention created "Living Strong, Living Well." This 16-week strength and flexibility class is led by specially trained and certified instructors, and is offered free of charge to adult cancer patients and survivors who have recently become deconditioned or chronically fatigued by cancer treatment or by the disease itself.

"Strength training enables participants to do things they formerly enjoyed but are no longer able to do because of their cancer therapy," said Joyce Hanna, associate director of the Health Improvement Program. "Things like bike riding, traveling, walking for pleasure, returning to work or shopping."

Once people become deconditioned after cancer therapy, it takes an enormous mental effort to get over it, she added. "They don't realize the potential they have to live a high-quality life again. This course is something positive they can do for their bodies rather than having something done to their bodies. Participants tell us they feel stronger after just a month."

The program, which started as a collaboration with the Page Mill YMCA in Palo Alto is now being expanded to the El Camino YMCA in Mountain View. "Our goal is to make it available at all the YMCAs in the mid-Peninsula," said Hanna.

The next Living Strong sessions will begin Sept. 9 at the El Camino YMCA and Sept. 10 at the Page Mill YMCA. Those interested in the program should contact Hanna at 725-5014.

"Interest in programs like this is taking off," Hanna said. "Cancer rehab is where cardiac rehabilitation was 25 years ago," when cardiac patients were told to stay in bed for weeks, she explained. Now they are encouraged to walk the day after surgery. Similar principles are now being applied to rehabilitation following cancer treatment.

The program's goal is to help patients rebuild muscle mass and strength, increase flexibility and endurance, and improve functional ability. To determine the effectiveness of the program, participants in the first two sessions completed an assessment questionnaire that measured vitality, stress, quality of life and fatigue, before starting the classes and again after the 16-week program ended. The results so far are very promising, said Hanna. Participants reported improved quality of sleep, mood, body image, sense of control, activity level, self-esteem and self-efficacy. They also reported a decrease in depression and fatigue and an increase in muscle mass, strength, flexibility and balance.

Classes meet twice a week for eight weeks. At the start of the session, trainers conduct individual assessments of participants and tailor a program to each individual's abilities. Class starts with 15 minutes of cardiovascular work, followed by a circuit of eight different strength-training machines. The last 15 minutes are devoted to flexibility.