Can exercise help colon cancer survivors live as long as matched individuals in the general population?

Study indicates that higher levels of physical activity may lessen and even eliminate survival disparities.

2025-02-24

(Press-News.org) Physical activity may help colon cancer survivors achieve long-term survival rates similar to those of people in the general population, according to a recent study published by Wiley online in CANCER, a peer-reviewed journal of the American Cancer Society.

Individuals with colon cancer face higher rates of premature mortality than people in the general population with matched characteristics such as age and sex. To assess whether exercise might reduce this disparity, investigators analyzed data from two posttreatment trials in patients with stage 3 colon cancer, with a total of 2,875 patients who self-reported physical activity after cancer surgery and chemotherapy. The researchers also examined data on a matched general population from the National Center for Health Statistics. For all participants, physical activity was based on metabolic equivalent (MET) hours per week. (Health guidelines recommend 150 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise per week, translating to approximately 8 MET-hours/week.)

In the analysis of data from the first trial (called CALGB 89803), for patients who were alive at three years after cancer treatment, those with <3.0 MET-hours/week had subsequent 3-year overall survival rates that were 17.1% lower than the matched general population, but those with ≥18.0 MET-hours/week had only 3.5% lower subsequent 3-year overall survival rates than the matched general population. In the second trial (CALGB 80702), among patients who were alive at three years, those with <3.0 and ≥18.0 MET-hours/week had subsequent 3-year overall survival rates that were 10.8% and 4.4% lower than the matched general population, respectively.

In pooled analyses of the two trials, among the 1,908 patients who were alive and did not have cancer recurrence by year three, those with <3.0 and ≥18.0 MET-hours/week had subsequent 3-year overall survival rates that were 3.1% lower and 2.9% higher than the matched general population, respectively. Therefore, cancer survivors who were tumor-free by year three and regularly exercised achieved even better subsequent survival rates than those seen in the matched general population.

“This new information can help patients with colon cancer understand how factors that they can control—their physical activity levels—can have a meaningful impact on their long-term prognosis,” said lead author Justin C. Brown, PhD, of the Pennington Biomedical Research Center and the Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center. “Also, medical and public health personnel and policymakers are always seeking new ways to communicate the benefits of a healthy lifestyle. Quantifying how physical activity may enable a patient with colon cancer to have a survival experience that approximates their friends and family without cancer could be a simple but powerful piece of information that can be leveraged to help everyone understand the health benefits of physical activity.”

Additional information
NOTE: The information contained in this release is protected by copyright. Please include journal attribution in all coverage. A free abstract of this article will be available via the CANCER Newsroom upon online publication. For more information or to obtain a PDF of any study, please contact: Sara Henning-Stout, newsroom@wiley.com

Full Citation:
“The Association of Physical Activity with Survival in Colon Cancer Versus a Matched General Population: Data from CALGB 89803 & 80702 (Alliance).” Justin C. Brown, Chao Ma, Qian Shi, Leonard Saltz, Anthony F. Shields, and Jeffrey A. Meyerhardt. CANCER; Published Online: February 24, 2025 (DOI: 10.1002/cncr.35727).
URL Upon Publication: http://doi.wiley.com/10.1002/cncr.35727

Author Contact: Ernest G. Ballard III, at Ernie.Ballard@pbrc.edu or +1 225-763-2677

About the Journal    
CANCER is a peer-reviewed publication of the American Cancer Society integrating scientific information from worldwide sources for all oncologic specialties. The objective of CANCER is to provide an interdisciplinary forum for the exchange of information among oncologic disciplines concerned with the etiology, course, and treatment of human cancer. CANCER is published on behalf of the American Cancer Society by Wiley and can be accessed online. Follow CANCER on X @JournalCancer and Instagram @ACSJournalCancer, and stay up to date with the American Cancer Society Journals on LinkedIn.

About Wiley     
Wiley is a knowledge company and a global leader in research, publishing, and knowledge solutions. Dedicated to the creation and application of knowledge, Wiley serves the world’s researchers, learners, innovators, and leaders, helping them achieve their goals and solve the world's most important challenges. For more than two centuries, Wiley has been delivering on its timeless mission to unlock human potential. Visit us at Wiley.com. Follow us on Facebook, X, LinkedIn and Instagram.

END

ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:

Unlicensed retailers provide youths with easy access to cannabis in New York City

2025-02-24

NEW YORK, NY (Feb. 24, 2025)--A new study, led by researchers at Columbia University, suggests it is easy for youths to purchase cannabis from unlicensed dispensaries in New York City, despite state laws that bar access to recreational cannabis to those under age 21. “Regulation to restrict access in this age group is based on evidence that cannabis affects working memory, brain development, and increases addiction risk when used at an early age,” says Ryan Sultán , an assistant professor ...

Scientists track evolution of pumice rafts after 2021 underwater eruption in Japan

2025-02-22

Tokyo, Japan – Researchers from Tokyo Metropolitan University have carried out an unprecedentedly detailed survey of pumice rafts in the aftermath of the 2021 Fukutoku-Oka-no-Ba volcanic eruption in Japan. Using samples from 213 different locations, they considered raft density, the size and roundness of individual pumice, and biological species attached. Their findings revealed three phases in the evolution of drift pumice, involving rounding, fragmentation, and the diversification of attached biological organisms over time. It is said that 85% of volcanic eruptions happen underwater. While their cousins on land might seem more vivid, the effects of underwater eruptions can be just as ...

The future of geothermal for reliable clean energy

2025-02-21

Historically, access to geothermal energy has hinged on real estate’s famously three most important factors: location, location, and location. Because conventional geothermal power plants require hot, permeable rocks and plenty of underground fluid, use of the technology has been limited mostly to places with recent volcanism, such as Japan, New Zealand, the Philippines, Kenya, El Salvador, Iceland, and the western United States. Over the past 50 years, however, techniques originally developed for oilfields and adapted for “enhanced geothermal systems” (EGS) have offered the promise ...

Study shows end-of-life cancer care lacking for Medicare patients

2025-02-21

Many Medicare patients with advanced cancer receive potentially aggressive treatment at the expense of supportive care, according to a study that analyzed Medicare records. The study, published in JAMA Health Forum, examined the quality of end-of-life care among 33,744 Medicare decedents. The study involved patients of diverse ethnic backgrounds, age 66 or older who died from breast, prostate, pancreatic or lung cancers. Overall, claims records showed that 45% of the patients experienced potentially ...

Scented wax melts may not be as safe for indoor air as initially thought, study finds

2025-02-21

As traditional candles burn, they can contribute to indoor air pollution by emitting volatile compounds and smoke, which may pose inhalation risks. Scented wax melts are often marketed as safer alternatives to candles because they’re flame- and smoke-free. But in a study in ACS’ Environmental Science & Technology Letters, researchers describe how aroma compounds released from the melted wax can react with ozone in indoor air to form potentially toxic particles. Previous research has shown that scented wax melts emit more airborne scent compounds than traditional candles. The ...

Underwater mics and machine learning aid right whale conservation

2025-02-21

ITHACA, N.Y. –Using underwater microphones and machine learning (ML), Cornell University researchers have developed a new method to estimate North Atlantic right whale numbers — offering a potentially safer and more cost-effective way to monitor this critically endangered species. Their study, published in Endangered Species Research, demonstrates how microphones combined with ML and traditional aerial survey methods can help track right whale populations in Cape Cod Bay, a crucial feeding ground where the whales gather each spring. To track this endangered species, researchers rely on costly and dangerous ...

Solving the case of the missing platinum

2025-02-21

For nearly two decades, scientists have tried to understand how negatively polarized platinum electrodes corrode, a costly mystery that plagues water electrolyzers, a promising energy technology for making hydrogen, as well as electrochemical sensors using platinum electrodes. Now, a close collaboration between researchers at the Department of Energy’s SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory and the Leiden University has finally identified the culprit, potentially paving the way for cheaper hydrogen energy production and more reliable electrochemical sensors. The results were published in Nature Materials. Electrolyzers ...

Glass fertilizer beads could be a sustained nutrient delivery system

2025-02-21

Agricultural fertilizers are critical for feeding the world’s population, restoring soil fertility and sustaining crops. Excessive and inefficient use of those resources can present an environmental threat, contaminating waterways and generating greenhouse gases such as nitrous oxide. Now, researchers reporting in ACS Agricultural Science & Technology have addressed those challenges with glass fertilizer beads. The beads control nutrient release, and the researchers say they’re environmentally compatible. “The results show that glass fertilizers can be tailored to plant needs, slowly and sustainably releasing ...

Biobased lignin gels offer sustainable alternative for hair conditioning

2025-02-21

Researchers at Stockholm University have developed a fully biobased hair conditioner using lignin gel emulsions, offering a sustainable and environmentally friendly alternative to conventional haircare products. Hair conditioners typically contain 20–30 ingredients, many derived from petroleum and oleochemicals, raising concerns about sustainability and environmental impact. A new study published in Science Advances, demonstrates that micellar lignin gels can effectively stabilize emulsions with natural oils, reducing the need for synthetic surfactants and complex stabilizers commonly used in commercial formulations. The research team, led by Mika Sipponen at Stockholm University, ...

Perovskite solar cells: Thermal stresses are the key to long-term stability

2025-02-21

Perovskite solar cells are highly efficient and low cost in production. However, they still lack stability over the decades under real weather conditions. An international research collaboration led by Prof. Antonio Abate has now published a perspective on this topic in the journal Nature Reviews Materials. They explored the effects of multiple thermal cycles on microstructures and interactions between different layers of perovskite solar cells. They conclude that thermal stress is the decisive factor in the degradation of metal-halide perovskites. Based on this, they derive the most promising strategies to increase the long-term stability of perovskite solar cells. Perovskites ...

Can exercise help colon cancer survivors live as long as matched individuals in the general population?

ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:

LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES: