The fact that exercise extends life for people with cancer has been known for a long time. As a cancer survivor I look on exercise as a matter of life and death.
For example, among 2,987 women with stage I-III breast cancer, participation in physical activity after diagnosis was associated with a 24% reduction in disease recurrence and 45% reduction in mortality. (This is about the same reduction in mortality as the aromatase inhibitor drug I took for 5 years.) Among 832 men and women with stage III colon cancer, participation in physical activity was associated with a 40% reduction in disease recurrence and 63% reduction in mortality.
A new study, a randomized controlled trial of nearly 900 patients at 55 cancer centers in six countries, showed that people who participated in a structured exercise program lived longer without their cancer coming back and without the occurrence of new cancers. Participants in the exercise program had a 37 percent lower risk of dying and a 28 percent lower risk of recurrent or new cancer than those in the control group.
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/06/01/well/exercise-colon-cancer-study.html
Involving patients in a structured exercise program with ongoing support and accountability was key since many people won’t stick with an exercise program without constant encouragement and monitoring. The estimated total cost per patient was between $3,000 and $5,000, depending on the center. That’s far less than treating a recurrence of cancer.
Cancer cells grow faster than normal cells and suck in glucose avidly. (That’s the basis of the PET scan which uses a radioactive glucose derivative tracer.) Exercise causes muscles to burn up a lot of glucose, improves insulin sensitivity in normal cells and reduces inflammation.
Most of the participants who exercised did a brisk walk of 45 minutes four times a week. Eighty percent of patients in the exercise group remained disease-free after five years, compared to 74 percent of patients in the control group. After eight years, the exercise program had prevented one death for every 14 people who participated in the exercise arm of the study.
It’s nice to see that a large, multicentric, controlled study showed such clear benefits. Needless to say, this exercise is also beneficial for cardiovascular fitness.
Walking is simple. Walking is free. Walking works.
Wendy (Zumba class in a couple of hours)