The New York Times profiled cancer this past weekend in a feature entitled, Cancer Patients, Lost in a Maze of Uneven Care.

Their main article follows Karen Pasqualetto, 35, as she perseveres through a complex maze of physicians and treatments in search of the best care for her stage IV colon cancer, which was diagnosed shortly after the birth of her first child.

The article addresses the uneven quality of cancer care in the U.S. and the difficulty that patients encounter as they attempt to navigate the system in the search for the best care. Healthcare disparities are also addressed, including gaps in access to top cancer care and early detection screenings.

One of the most disturbing parts of the article is a rundown of different cancers and how many patients do not receive the care that gives them the best chance at increasing survival. For example, for pancreatic cancer patients, 38 percent of patients who were eligible for surgery do not receive it. In another example, for breast cancer patients, 15 to 25 percent of women who should have radiation do not and 20 to 30 percent do not take anti-estrogen drugs.

As for Ms. Pasqualetto, she eventually received a liver and colon surgery to remove tumors and has now survived 12 months, far longer than the six month prognosis originally given to her by her first doctor. She credits this good fortune to both her determination and her access to excellent healthcare coverage.

Exhausted, weary, tired, lethargic -- cancer patients are all this and more when undergoing treatment, and it's a problem that may be fixed with some light activity. While rest is encouraged, it's now thought that the overwhelming fatigue experienced by those with cancer can be alleviated with activity, at least according to this video. Don't get me wrong .... you don't need to run an Ironman marathon or anything, but how about going for a walk, or doing a few light resistance moves?

Think about this:

A few gentle activities can help boost your energy, and can have positive systemic benefits in your body that hopefully will help your body fight the disease. Dick, the prostate cancer patient in the video, is part of a study to prove the benefits of exercise in cancer patients and he believes that his lack of fatigue is a result of his staying active during treatment.

What do you think? Should you take it easy or get up and about?

Have you, or someone you love, been diagnosed with cancer? If you live in the UK, Macmillan Cancer Relief is interested in learning about your experiences and thoughts on how cancer has impacted your life, and the lives of those closest to you. Opinion Leader Research has been commissioned by Macmillan Cancer Relief to conduct this research survey. Your answers will become part of the 'Impact of Cancer Survey 2006' report. All personal data will be kept confidential and secure, and your name will not be published in the research findings, unless you indicate an interest in being identified. The questionnaire will take 15 minutes to complete, and can be a valuable tool in helping those in the medical community better understand and address the real issues facing cancer patients and their families.

In their efforts to explore more effective and efficient ways to conduct clinical trials, Mayo Clinic cancer researchers will present new recommendations about how long studies should track results when evaluating new cancer therapies.

An analysis led by Daniel Sargent, Ph.D., director of statistics for Mayo Clinic Cancer Center, shows that many study results garnered after three years are just as reliable as those produced after five years. But, data provided after two years of study are less precise, and those provided after only one year are not sufficiently reliable.