A first-of-its-kind international trial provides definitive evidence that people who follow a structured exercise program after surgery and chemotherapy for colon cancer have a lower risk of their cancer coming back and better odds of survival.
"Our study shows that exercise is no longer just a quality-of-life intervention for cancer patients that can be offered when and where possible. It is a treatment for colon cancer that must be made available to all patients," says Kerry Courneya, professor in the Faculty of Kinesiology, Sport, and Recreation and Canada Research Chair in Physical Activity and Cancer, who was co-lead on the Canadian Cancer Trials Group CO.21 (CHALLENGE) trial.
As Courneya explains, previous studies exploring exercise's effect on cancer outcomes have been observational - researchers simply followed patients over time, with the aim of seeing if exercise is associated with improved survival. Such studies have fundamental flaws. The CHALLENGE trial is a randomized controlled Phase 3 trial, which is "the definitive test of whether or not something improves a health outcome," says Courneya.
"It's the same study design they use to test new drugs for cancer. It's the absolute best evidence we have that a treatment works."
