Exercise program reduces common cancer recurrence and boosts survival

Exercising regularly in the three years after treatment for a common cancer could significantly improve survival rates, an international study has revealed.

Led by coaches, the exercise group was permitted to choose their own type of moderate-intensity exercise, such as walking or pickleball. The overall goal was to add 2 ½ hours of activity per week.

"It is a treatment for colon cancer that must be made available to all patients."

One of the patients in the study, Terri Swain-Collins, was diagnosed with stage 3 colon cancer in 2021.

"One of the biggest benefits was having a semi-structured routine that works for my lifestyle with someone to hold me accountable," she said in the release. 

Three years later, Swain-Collins is still walking regularly and is cancer-free.

"The next step is to put this into practice," said study co-chair Dr. Chris Booth, medical oncologist at Kingston Health Sciences Centre and professor of oncology at Queen's University, in the release.

"That means health systems will need to invest in behavior support programs as part of standard care."

The study did find, however, that patients in the exercise group were more likely to develop muscle strains or injuries (18.5%) than the non-exercisers (11.5%).

The findings were published in The New England Journal of Medicine and were also presented at the ASCO (American Society of Clinical Oncology) annual meeting in Chicago on Sunday.

The study was funded by the Canadian Cancer Society (CCS).

Colorectal cancer is the third-most common cancer among men and women in the U.S., according to the American Cancer Society.

Among people under 50, rates of diagnosis have increased by 2.4% per year from 2012 to 2021.