Taiwanese research team analyzed 21 randomized controlled trials… Confirmed improvement in overall survival and disease-free survival

Taiwanese research team analyzed 21 randomized controlled trials... Confirmed improvement in overall survival and disease-free survival

(Seoul = Yonhap News) Reporter Lee Joo-young = A study has shown that if cancer patients continue to exercise in a certain way prescribed by medical staff, it can help increase overall survival and the period of time without cancer recurrence.

On the 16th, a research team from National Taiwan University School of Medicine and Chung Shan Medical University published a comprehensive analysis of 21 randomized controlled trials evaluating the effectiveness of structured exercise programs for cancer patients in the British Journal of Sports Medicine, and reported that overall survival and disease-free survival were significantly improved in the exercise group.

The research team said that the benefits of exercise were greatest when cancer was in the early stages, when aerobic exercise or aerobic exercise and strength training were combined, and when exercise habits were maintained consistently, and that there is a need to consider ways to integrate the therapeutic potential of exercise into cancer treatment.

Cancer is one of the leading causes of death worldwide, and recurrence can occur in 20-40% of cancer patients even after receiving standard treatment for cure, such as surgery and chemotherapy.

The research team pointed out that structured exercise, such as aerobic exercise and strength training, has been mainly recommended as an auxiliary means to reduce fatigue and physical decline and improve quality of life during cancer treatment, but its role as a therapeutic intervention to extend survival period is still uncertain.

The research team searched medical research databases and clinical trial registration data and comprehensively analyzed data from 8,449 participants in 21 randomized controlled trials that evaluated structured exercise interventions.

The participants were 7,433 women (88%), and the most common cancer was breast cancer (75.3% of the total), followed by colon cancer and pancreatic cancer. The average age of participants was approximately 54 years, and the weighted average follow-up period for each study was approximately 64 months.

The structured exercise group participated in an exercise program that included aerobic exercise, strength training, or a combination of the two, while the comparison group received designated control interventions such as usual medical care and health education.

As a result of the analysis, the overall survival hazard ratio of the structured exercise group was 0.77, and the risk of death during the follow-up period was relatively 23% lower than that of the control group.

The risk ratio of disease-free survival, which refers to the period of time without events such as cancer recurrence, second cancer development, or death, was 0.83, and the risk of such events was relatively 17% lower in the exercise group than in the control group.

Additionally, in a separate analysis, the risk of all-cause death in the exercise group was relatively 18% lower than that of the control group, and the risk of cancer-specific death was 26% lower.

By exercise method, it was confirmed that overall survival was improved when only aerobic exercise was performed and when aerobic exercise and strength training were combined. Additionally, the higher the practice rate of the prescribed exercise program, the greater the improvement in overall survival and disease-free survival.

Regarding the effect of exercise on improving survival rates, the research team explained that exercise has the potential to contribute to helping with anti-cancer treatment or lowering the risk of recurrence by influencing the activity of immune cells, blood flow around the tumor, and metabolism.

However, this study is a meta-analysis that synthesizes the results of several randomized controlled trials, and is not an experiment that directly confirms through which biological pathway exercise improves survival, and the exact mechanism of action needs to be verified through additional research.

He went on to say that structured exercise has the potential to provide benefits in terms of survival time and recurrence, beyond its traditional role of improving quality of life. However, he emphasized that the intensity and method of exercise should be determined individually, taking into account the type and stage of cancer, stage of treatment, and the patient's physical strength and symptoms.

◆ Source: British Journal of Sports Medicine, Tsai-Ching Hsu et al., ‘Structured exercise interventions and survival outcomes in patients with cancer: systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials’, http://dx.doi.org/10.1136/bjsports-2026-111664