How 2.5 Hours of Weekly Exercise Can Cut Colon Cancer Deaths as Effectively as Chemo

Research indicates that individuals battling colon cancer who engage in consistent physical activity may experience benefits similar to those from chemotherapy, reducing mortality rates by more than one-third.

The findings stem from the CO21 Challenge trial, which focused on providing exercise coaching to individuals who had recently undergone surgery followed by a treatment regimen. chemotherapy for an initial-phase colorectal tumor.

The trial included 889 participants whose mean age was 61. After half a decade, the research revealed that individuals following a customized workout regimen had their chances of mortality, recurrence, or contracting another form of cancer reduced by 28 percent compared to those who did not have such a program.

After eight years, 10 per cent of those in the exercise programme had died from their cancer , compared to 17 percent in the control group.

To put it differently, the mortality rate was over one-third higher among individuals who did not begin engaging in physical activity.

"This suggests that exercise has an equally significant impact, similar to what was previously demonstrated for chemotherapy, which is truly remarkable," stated Dr Marco Gerlinger, a medical oncologist at Barts Cancer Institute in London, who did not participate in the research.

Walking, swimming, running

The exercise programme consisted of once-weekly supervised exercise sessions for six months, with people being asked to do the equivalent of 2.5 hours of moderate aerobic exercise a week. Activities could include brisk walking , cycling and swimming.

Instead, they might opt for more intense workouts, such as jogging, but for a lesser number of hours each week. Individuals were advised to sustain or elevate this degree of physical activity for an additional 2.5 years.

The participants in the control group received pamphlets on healthy living.

Immune system boost

The exact reason for the benefits of exercise remains uncertain, but it might strengthen the immune system, aiding in the destruction of cancer cells, or it could lower levels of inflammatory substances that promote tumor growth, according to the researchers.

“Further research is planned to investigate the underlying biology, including analysis of blood samples collected from patients who took part in the trial,” said Professor Vicky Coyle, UK lead researcher for the trial and Clinical Professor at Queen’s University Belfast.

The trial involved nearly 900 people from six countries, including the UK. Beforehand, participants had been doing less than 2.5 hours a week of moderate exercise, but they had to be able to walk for 6 minutes at a casual pace to join the trial.

Our research provides compelling and hopeful proof that engaging in physical activities may lower the chances of cancer recurring for certain individuals diagnosed with colon cancer," stated Professor Coyle. "It’s essential that we collaborate with medical professionals to incorporate exercises into treatment strategies when suitable.

Various earlier researches indicated that individuals diagnosed with cancer exhibited better survival outcomes when they maintained physical activity. However, these findings may have been skewed due to the possibility that those with more severe tumors might not have felt well enough to engage in exercises.

The latest trial sidesteps such prejudice as the scientists chose 900 participants who had comparable degrees of illness intensity, and subsequently assigned them at random to begin working out or receive literature on leading healthier lifestyles.

Effect like drug treatment

The findings enable us to measure the extent of the advantage gained from lowering both the chance of cancer recurring and the emergence of new cancers," stated Professor Coyle. "The degree of this benefit is similar to what we observe with medications commonly utilized in standard cancer treatment.

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"Oncologists can now provide a strong, evidence-backed suggestion to patients who have recently finished their chemotherapy for colorectal cancer and are healthy enough to participate in such an exercise regimen," stated Dr. Gerlinger.

I believe that backing from both a physician and either a physiotherapist or a trainer would likely be essential to ensure this approach works well for most patients.

Margaret Tubridy, a 69-year-old trial participant from North Belfast, said: ” I had never exercised in my life, but with the right support and encouragement I was able to walk more and more.

“From there I started going to classes at the gym and now I do weight training twice a week, pole walking, and I’m in a walking group. Once I was shown how to use the machines and do the exercises, I loved it.”

Cancer Research UK estimates about 31,800 people every year in the UK are diagnosed with the disease, with around 9,500 deaths.

The work was published in the medical journal, The New England Journal of Medicine .

If you need help, please contact Cancer Support UK on 020 3983 7616.