A groundbreaking study from Louisiana State University demonstrates the powerful impact of exercise on colon cancer survival rates. Researchers discovered that patients engaging in higher levels of physical activity (over 18 MET-hours/week) experienced significantly better long-term survival outcomes. The research analyzed data from 2,875 patients, revealing that consistent exercise could potentially eliminate survival disparities after cancer treatment. This study offers hope and practical guidance for cancer survivors seeking to improve their health through manageable lifestyle changes.
February 25, 2025
Exercise may boost survival in cancer patients post-treatment
"Patients
can control physical activity levels to impact long-term prognosis" - Dr.
Justin C. Brown
Exercise
may boost survival in cancer patients post-treatment
Higher
levels of physical activity may not only prevent the risk of cancers but also
boost survival rates in people who have undergone treatment.
Key Points
1 Research tracked 2,875 colon cancer patients post-treatment
2 Higher exercise levels linked to improved survival rates
3 18 MET-hours/week shows most significant survival benefits
4 Physical activity can reduce mortality disparities
Researchers
from the Louisiana State University in the US focussed on long-term survival
rates in colon cancer survivors. Individuals with colon cancer face higher
rates of premature mortality than people in the general population.
To assess
whether exercise might reduce this disparity, the team analysed data from two
posttreatment trials in patients with stage 3 colon cancer. A total of 2,875
patients self-reported physical activity after cancer surgery and chemotherapy.
For all
participants, physical activity was based on metabolic equivalent (MET) hours
per week. (Health guidelines recommend 150 minutes of moderate-intensity
exercise per week, translating to approximately 8 MET hours/week.)
The findings,
published in the peer-reviewed journal CANCER, showed that patients who were
alive at three years after cancer treatment, and those with less than 3
MET-hours/week had subsequent 3-year overall survival rates. It was 17.1 per
cent lower than the matched general population.
On the
other hand, people with more than 18 MET-hours/week had only 3.5 lower
subsequent 3-year overall survival rates than the matched general population.
Similarly in the second trial, patients who were alive at three years, those with
less than 3 and more than 18 MET-hours/week had subsequent 3-year overall
survival rates that were 10.8 per cent and 4.4 per cent lower than the matched
general population, respectively.
The results
indicate that "higher levels of physical activity may lessen and even
eliminate survival disparities," the researchers said. The study showed
that cancer survivors who were tumour-free by year three and regularly
exercised achieved even better subsequent survival rates.
"This
new information can help patients with colon cancer understand how factors that
they can control -- their physical activity levels -- can have a meaningful
impact on their long-term prognosis," said lead author Justin C. Brown,
from the Pennington Biomedical Research Center and the Louisiana State
University Health Sciences Center.
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