Prescribing exercise as an actual treatment for cancer — not just for symptoms or side-effects — has taken a big step forward, thanks to a landmark international study co-led by a University of Alberta researcher.
The European Society for Medical Oncology has updated its clinical practice guidelines to formally recommend tailored exercise as part of the standard of care for patients being treated for stages 2 and 3 colon cancer.
“As far as we know, this is the first time that a non-medical intervention has been included in a treatment flow diagram by any clinical oncology group that provides practice guidelines,” says Kerry Courneya, professor and Canada Research Chair in Physical Activity and Cancer in the Faculty of Kinesiology, Sport, and Recreation.
“This step helps transform exercise from a quality-of-life intervention to an essential treatment for colon cancer, alongside chemotherapy or radiation therapy.”
The recommendation is based on robust evidence drawn from the Canadian Cancer Trials Group CO21 Challenge trial, a 17-year study that was the first of its kind to prove conclusively that physical activity can improve cancer survival.
The study recruited 889 colon cancer patients who had received chemotherapy for Stage 3 or high-risk Stage 2 colon cancer, to see whether a structured exercise program improved their survival. Half the group received standard health information; the other half worked with physiotherapists or kinesiologists to add 2.5 hours of moderate weekly exercise over three years.
