Physical exercise can reduce the risk of death from colon cancer by more than a third - study
Kyiv • UNN
An international study has shown that an exercise program reduces the risk of colon cancer recurrence and improves survival. After 5 years, 80% of patients were cured.
Regular physical activity can significantly improve the survival of people with colon cancer. This is reported by Independent, writes UNN.
Details
In particular, such results were shown by the international study CO21 CHALLENGE, which was presented at the conference of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) and published in the New England Journal of Medicine.
According to the information, 889 people with colon cancer from six countries took part in the study.
It was found that a structured exercise program significantly reduces the likelihood of disease recurrence and improves overall survival compared to standard recommendations.
It is reported that after five years, 80% of patients who followed an individual exercise regimen recovered from cancer compared to 74% of those who were offered only educational materials on health issues.
This means that the risk of death, cancer recurrence, or development of a new type of cancer was 28% lower in the exercise group.
After eight years, survival rates were 90% in the exercise group, compared to 83% in the health education group, meaning a 37% reduction in the risk of death.
Professor Vicki Coyle, the lead researcher from the UK and clinical professor at Queen's University Belfast, said the study provides "clear and encouraging" evidence that physical activity can reduce deaths from colon cancer.
Now we need to work with politicians and healthcare providers to include exercise in treatment plans where appropriate
The charity Cancer Research UK said that these results have the potential to change modern approaches to cancer treatment, but stressed that this is possible only with sufficient funding and staffing in healthcare systems.
Researchers said that further studies are needed to explore the biological mechanisms underlying the effect of exercise on cancer, but the available data are already compelling enough to encourage urgent action.
