Online Reporter
THERE is something you can do that may help you live longer after a colon cancer diagnosis, and you can start it on your own, at your home or a gym.
Exercise is associated with longer lives for patients with colon cancer, according to a new study published Monday in Cancer, a journal of the American Cancer Society.
“Although many cancer patients now live longer after cancer than decades ago, survival rates after a cancer diagnosis still remain shorter than the general population,” said lead study author Dr Justin Brown, associate professor and director of the Cancer Metabolism Program at Louisiana State University’s Pennington Biomedical Research Center in Baton Rouge.
“This study suggests that after a diagnosis of colon cancer, engaging in physical activity may help patients live longer, and for some patients, help them live as long, or even longer, as those in the general population without cancer,” he added.
While researchers have known that regular exercise can improve survival rates, less has been known about whether it can help patients get back to the survival rates of those who never had cancer, said Dr. Keith Diaz, associate professor of behavioral medicine at Columbia University Medical Centre in New York City. He was not involved in the research.
The findings may be welcome both to people undergoing treatment and in remission, Brown said.
Among younger adults, ages 20 to 49, colorectal cancer is estimated to become the leading cause of cancer-related deaths in the United States by 2030.
Exercise can reduce cancer cells’ ability to spread To conduct the study, researchers surveyed nearly 3,000 patients with colon cancer about their physical activity levels during and after chemotherapy, Brown said.
Researchers then followed the patients for about six years and analyzed how long each person survived against their predicted lifespan based on their age, sex and year of diagnosis, he added. Not only did those who exercise regularly live longer, but they also saw a reduced risk of the cancer returning, Diaz said.
The study was observational, meaning researchers can’t say for sure that the exercise caused the improved survival rates, but it does make sense that physical activity would help, Diaz said.
“The benefits of exercise after a colon cancer diagnosis are multi-faceted. Exercise improves heart health, mental health, and gut health, all of which play important roles in long-term survival,” he added in an email.
Researchers still are learning a lot about the exact mechanisms, but physical activity does seem to have a positive impact on both the environment cancers cells may try to grow in and the cells themselves, Diaz said.
Exercise can reduce the inflammation and insulin levels that allow cancer cells to grow and spread, he said.
Physical activity also improves the immune system, making it easier for the body to detect and eliminate the cancer cells
A cancer diagnosis may feel unmooring, but this study can give patients and their loved ones some comfort in knowing there are things in their control, Brown said. — CNN.
