A new study into cancer treatment has shown that a structured exercise program following surgery and chemotherapy reduced the risk of recurrent or new cancer and increased survival for patients with stage III and high-risk stage II colon cancer.
The research team from Canada, the US, the UK and Sydney compared outcomes between patients randomly assigned to a structured exercise program and another group that received health education materials promoting physical activity and healthy nutrition.
Patients in both groups improved their physical function and sustained it, but it was significantly higher for patients in the structured exercise program. Each group contained 445 subjects.
After a median follow-up of 7.9 years, 93 patients in the structured exercise program had their cancer recur, compared to 131 patients in the health education materials group.
At five years, the disease-free survival rate was 80% in the structured exercise program and 74% in the health education materials group.
Patients in the structured exercise program had a 28% lower risk of recurrent or new cancers developing than patients who only received health education materials.
There were 41 people in the structured exercise program and 66 people in the health education materials group who died. After 8 years, overall survival was 90% in the structured exercise program and 83% in the health education materials group.
Patients had a 37% lower risk of death if they participated in the structured exercise program.
Lead study author Christopher Booth, MD, FRCPC, Queen’s University in Kingston, Canada, said that after completing surgery and chemotherapy, about 30% of patients with high-risk stage II and stage III colon cancer will eventually experience recurrence of their disease.
"As oncologists, one of the most common questions we get asked by patients is ‘what else can I do to improve my outcome?’
"These results now provide us with a clear answer: an exercise program that includes a personal trainer will reduce the risk of recurrent or new cancer, make you feel better and help you live longer,” he said.
“We now have definitive evidence that exercise is not just an intervention for quality of life and fitness. This is an intervention that improves survival and should be standard of care."
All participants in the study received standard cancer surveillance and follow-up care.
Patients in the structured exercise program worked with a physical activity consultant twice a month for coaching sessions and supervised exercise sessions.
The consultants gave each patient an 'exercise prescription'.
Researchers will now explore how exercise reduces cancer recurrence by studying blood samples of the patients who participated.
The study was published Sunday in the New England Journal of Medicine.
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