Exercise Fights Colon Cancer Survival

A pioneering international trial has demonstrated that a three-year exercise intervention significantly enhanced survival and reduced cancer recurrence in colon cancer patients. The study, involving participants from Canada, Australia, the United Kingdom, Israel, and the United States, compared patients who engaged in a structured exercise program with those who received an educational booklet.

Conducted over eight years, the research followed 889 patients who had completed chemotherapy. Participants in the exercise group, who worked with coaches to increase physical activity, experienced 28% fewer cancer recurrences and 37% fewer deaths from any cause. Experts suggest these findings, published in the New England Journal of Medicine, warrant considering exercise coaching as a new standard of care for survivors.

The exercise program, costing several thousand dollars per patient, is considered a remarkably affordable intervention with profound benefits. Researchers are investigating the biological mechanisms, such as insulin processing or immune system enhancement, that link exercise to cancer prevention. This evidence provides a strong, definitive reason for patients to remain motivated with physical activity post-treatment.