Photo: Anastasia Shuraeva | Pexels
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 the cancer coming back and better odds of survival. Between 2009 and 2024, 889 patients with Stage 3 or high-risk Stage 2 colon cancer were enrolled in the Canadian Cancer Trials Group CO.21 (CHALLENGE) trial. Half met with a physical activity consultant twice monthly for moderate intensity aerobic activities in the first year and then monthly over the next two years, while the other half got educational materials promoting physical activity and healthy eating. Both got the same followup care and ongoing cancer surveillance. Five years on, patients in the exercise group had an 80% disease-free survival rate, compared with 74% in the education group, as well as a 28% lower risk of recurrence or new cancers. At eight years, patients in the exercise group had a 37% lower risk of death, with a 90% overall survival rate compared to 83% in the education group.
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