PALM HARBOR, Fla. — Researchers at Moffitt Cancer Center are studying how pickleball might be beneficial to cancer survivors.

What You Need To Know

  • Moffitt Cancer Center partnered with YMCA of the Suncoast to study how pickleball could help physical activity for cancer survivors

  • The study involved 23 participants, 18 of whom were cancer survivors, who started playing pickleball with a certified coach at the Y

  • The report on the study was published in January

  • SEE ALSO: Pickleball courts open on St. Petersburg Pier

According to the National Cancer Institute, physical activity has been linked to lowering risks of cancer.

That is why researchers at Moffitt wanted to see if playing America’s fastest-growing sport could help increase activity among survivors.

Study participant Jacie Rowe said working out has always been important to her.

“I've always been active,” Rowe, 77, said. “I've always been, you know, positive.”

Her bubbly personality shines through her competitive spirit on the pickleball court, making it hard to believe she has only been playing since last year.

“It keeps me young, you know, and that's very important,” she said.

For Rowe, pickleball couldn’t have come into her life at a better time.

“If you're a cancer patient, one of the things they always keep pushing is to be active,” she said. “Be active, get a hobby.”

According to Rowe, she moved to Florida from Virginia in 2019 and about a month later was diagnosed with multiple myeloma, a type of blood cancer.

She went from settling into her place in Clearwater to doing chemo treatments.

“I recovered, three, three and a half months,” Rowe said. “But we had the pandemic.”

Because of COVID-19, Rowe lived in isolation for much of her initial time in Florida. That is, until she got a notice from Moffitt about a study involving pickleball.

“If you'd asked me five years ago, would pickleball be part of my day-to-day work as a cancer researcher? I would have told you to get lost,” said Dr. Nathan Parker, with the Department of Health Outcomes and Behavior at Moffitt Cancer Center. “But it's been really cool to see the impact that this program can have.”

Moffitt was able to partner with YMCA of the Suncoast to do the study in Palm Harbor.

The study looked at 23 people, 18 of whom were cancer survivors, and had them start playing pickleball with a certified coach at the Y.

Researchers said they wanted to measure whether they could do a program like this at a bigger scale in the future, and if they could retain participants.

“They stuck through,” Parker said. “It seemed like they became, you know, pickleball addicts. Like most people seem to when they when they start playing the game.”

But most importantly, physical activity is huge for cancer survivors who are so focused on battling cancer can often neglect working out.

“It looks really promising for the benefits of pickleball and cancer survivorship,” Parker said.

While it’s not always easy on the court or off it, participating in this study made a huge difference for Rowe.

“You have friends, you come, and you meet the same people, and, you know, all these people have the same kind of issues you do," she said. "And so it's really very helpful. I miss it.”

Parker hopes to do a larger randomized trial study on the same topic in the future.

The report on this study Rowe participated in was published in January.