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 "In cancer survivors, cancer treatment causes what we consider to be
an accelerated aging process," that can lead to premature deaths,
said senior study author Lee Jones, chief of the exercise oncology
service at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York City.
So, findings showing that exercise may attenuate or slow this
process are not only novel, but critically important for patients
since exercise is an intervention they can do right now," Jones said
by email.
Researchers examined survey data on the frequency, intensity and
duration of physical activity for 15,450 adults who had been treated
for childhood cancer in the U.S. and Canada between 1970 and 1999.
By the time half the participants had been followed for 9.6 years,
1,063 of the whole group had died.
At the start of the study, half of the childhood cancer survivors
were at least 26 years old.
Researchers asked study participants how often they exercised, and
how intensely, as well as what activities they did. Then, the study
team scored participants' exercise levels and intensity based on a
measure known as metabolic equivalent of task (MET) hours per week.
After 15 years, the overall mortality rate from all causes was
almost 12 percent for people who didn't exercise.
People who achieved 3 to 6 MET hours per week had a mortality rate
of 8.6 percent at 15 years, while participants who managed 9 to 12
MET hours a week had a mortality rate of 7.4 percent. The mortality
rate was 8 percent for people who achieved 15 to 21 MET hours per
week.
Increasing exercise levels over time appeared to boost survival
odds, researchers report in JAMA Oncology.
Among a subset of 5,689 survivors, inactive people who increased
exercise by an average of about 8 MET hours per week over an
eight-year period were 40 percent less likely to die during the
study period than participants who remained consistently inactive.
It's possible exercise benefits cancer survivors in much the same
way that it helps other people - by promoting a healthy heart, Jones
said.
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"The primary risk of dying prematurely in childhood cancer survivors
is cardiovascular disease," Jones noted. "Exercise may attenuate
either the development or progression of cardiovascular disease in
all the ways it does so in the general population."
Among other things, regular vigorous exercise can help bolster the
immune system and make it easier for people control their blood
pressure, cholesterol and blood sugar.
However, the study wasn't a controlled experiment designed to prove
whether or how exercise might directly boost longevity for childhood
cancer survivors.
Another limitation of the study is its reliance on survey
participants to accurately report the frequency and intensity of any
exercise. In addition, it excluded some of the sickest childhood
cancer survivors who died before the start of the study or before
they could complete follow-up questionnaires on their exercise
habits.
"These data confirm and extend to cancer survivors our longstanding
medical and research experience which have shown that people who
exercise generally live longer and better lives," said Dr. Venkatesh
Murthy, a researcher at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor who
wasn't involved in the study.
"What is less clear from the study is what amount of exercise is
necessary or how to best implement programs to encourage exercise
during and after treatment for cancer," Murthy said by email.
Still, it makes sense for cancer survivors to get as much exercise
as they can manage.
"Exercise has positive effects on many parts of the body including
muscles, bones, blood vessels, and heart and lung function," Murthy
said. "It can also improve mood and promote general well-being."
SOURCE: http://bit.ly/2lJi3vP JAMA Oncology, online June 3, 2018.
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