A groundbreaking international study has found that a cheap and easy habit can improve colon cancer survival rates.
New research published in the New England Journal of Medicine has shown that a three-year exercise program can help prevent the disease from returning and offer benefits on par with some cancer treatments, experts say.
“This is about as high a quality of evidence as you can get,” Dr. Julie Gralow, chief medical officer of the American Society of Clinical Oncology said.
“I love this study because it’s something I’ve been promoting but with less strong evidence for a long time.”
The research, conducted in Canada, Australia, the UK, Israel and the US, is the first to show that exercise itself directly improves survival in colon cancer patients, rather than just being associated with better outcomes. It was presented at the American Society of Clinical Oncology’s annual meeting in Chicago on Sunday.
The study involved 889 colon cancer patients who had finished chemotherapy. Half were given a booklet encouraging exercise and healthy eating. The other half participated in a structured exercise program that included coaching every two weeks for a year, then monthly for two more years.
For many, the key to success was working with a coach. Terri Swain-Collins, 62, of Kingston, Ontario, said she loved the personal support.
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“This is something I could do for myself to make me feel better,” she said. “I wouldn’t want to go there and say, ‘I didn’t do anything,’ so I was always doing stuff and making sure I got it done.”
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Eight years after the study began, people in the exercise group had 28% fewer cases of cancer and were 37% less likely to die from any cause compared to those who didn’t do the structured program.
“When we saw the results, we were just astounded,” said study co-author Dr. Christopher Booth, a cancer doctor at Kingston Health Sciences Centre.
He described the program as a “remarkably affordable intervention” — costing a few thousand dollars per patient — that not only helps patients feel better but also saves lives.
Researchers are also analyzing blood samples to understand how exactly exercise might fight cancer, whether by improving insulin processing, strengthening the immune system or other mechanisms.
Even though Swain-Collins’ formal coaching program ended, she kept up her routine by walking to music in the countryside near her home. It’s long-lasting lifestyle change that researchers say is the real secret.
“Now we can say definitively exercise causes improvements in survival,” said Kerry Courneya, a co-author from the University of Alberta. He believes this evidence will give cancer patients an extra reason to stay active.