Is exercise the magic bullet for cancer? Studies link it to drop in patient deaths

Scientists have spent decades and millions of dollars trying to discover and develop better ways to treat people with cancer. But what if cancer’s wonder drug is actually just a brisk walk, slow jog or a few laps of the pool? A growing body of research reveals the potential of exercise as a simple and inexpensive treatment for cancer.

At the recent Medical Fair Asia Medicine & Sports Conference in Singapore, one of the talking points was how to create and implement exercise plans for cancer patients. There, the Singapore chapter of the US-based Exercise is Medicine initiative campaigned for health care providers to either prescribe physical activity to patients or to refer patients to a certified health and fitness professional to get a physical activity prescription.

“It has been shown that exercise is medicine for breast cancer,” says Dr Ng Chung-sien, a sports physician at Changi Sports Medicine Centre and the education director of Exercise is Medicine Singapore.

Ng cites research that found regular exercise could reduce the risk of recurrent breast cancer and mortality by about 50 per cent. In prostate cancer patients, Ng says patients who walked briskly for 90 minutes or more a week had a 46 per cent lower risk of death compared to those who walked less.

In a study published in March 2015 in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute in the US, Duke Cancer Institute scientists studied the impact of exercise in models of breast cancer in mice. They found exercise stimulated significant improvements in the number and function of blood vessels around the tumours, improving oxygen flow to the cancer site. When treated with chemotherapy, the tumours shrank markedly better than they did in sedentary animals.

Ng has seen first-hand how physical activity has improved the lives of cancer patients. One example is Anna (name changed for patient confidentiality reasons), a breast cancer patient who has been in remission for more than five years. Every week, she engages in a combination of physical activities like cycling, brisk walking, jogging, hiking and strength training. Not only has her mood improved, but Anna also feels fitter and stronger than she did post-treatment, Ng says. She has also experienced fewer flare-ups of lymphedema (swelling in the limbs).