WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - A major new study has found that regular exercise after cancer treatment can reduce the risk of dying by more than a third. It can also help prevent cancer from returning or prevent new cancers from developing. In some cases, exercise worked even better than medication.
Published in the New England Journal of Medicine, this is the first trial of its kind and included patients from the US, UK, Australia, France, Canada, and Israel. The findings are expected to lead to changes in health advice given to cancer patients worldwide.
The study included 889 people who had colon cancer, most of them with stage three cancer. Of the total participants, half of the patients joined a structured exercise program, while the other half received a booklet with general health advice.
Those in the exercise group worked with a personal trainer or health coach. At first, they had two sessions per month, then one per month, over three years. They were encouraged to exercise the equivalent of three or four 45 to 60-minute walks each week, but they could choose how to stay active. Some people went kayaking or skiing instead.
The results were impressive. After five years, the exercise group had a 28 percent lower chance of their cancer coming back or developing a new one. After eight years, they had a 37 percent lower risk of dying compared to the group that only received written advice.
In short, the study found that cancer patients who stayed active with proper support lived longer and were healthier than those who didn't.
'After completing surgery and chemotherapy, about 30 percent of patients with high-risk stage two and stage three colon cancer will eventually experience recurrence of their disease,' said the study's lead author, Dr Christopher Booth. '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.'
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