Health Network》Colorectal cancer patients should not neglect exercise! Study tracking nearly 8 years reveals survival advantage

Liu Boren, director of the Cobot Clinic, said that exercise is not just about keeping fit. Some studies have pointed out that regular exercise may be helpful in reducing the risk of colorectal cancer recurrence. The picture is a situational photo, and the person in the picture has nothing to do with this article.

Most people suffer from colorectal cancer. After actively cooperating with the medical treatment plan, when patients want to do more for their own health, they often don’t know what else they can do to sustainably support their recovery. One study suggests regular exercise may help.

Liu Boren, president of the Cobot Clinic, posted on Facebook "Liu Boren Nutritional Functional Medicine Expert" to share that in June 2025, the "New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM)" published a large-scale randomized clinical trial called CHALLENGE. The study included 889 patients with stage III or high-risk stage II colorectal cancer who had completed surgery and adjuvant chemotherapy. Researchers divided the patients into two groups. One group received general health education, and the other group participated in a three-year structured exercise program, with a median follow-up of 7.9 years.

The results showed that the 5-year disease-free survival rate was 80.3% in the exercise group and 73.9% in the control group, a difference of 6.4 percentage points. When calculated based on the combined risk of disease recurrence, new cancer, or death, the relative risk reduction in the exercise group was approximately 28%. The study also observed better overall survival in the exercise group.

Liu Boren explained that this means that for certain colorectal cancer patients, exercise not only improves physical strength, but may also become an auxiliary measure to reduce the risk of recurrence. However, this study is still limited in that it did not include stage IV patients, so the study results cannot be directly applied to stage IV colorectal cancer patients.

Why exercise helps fight cancer

Liu Boren said that exercise may affect the health of cancer patients through a variety of physiological mechanisms, including improving insulin sensitivity, regulating chronic inflammation, maintaining muscle mass, and improving cardiopulmonary function and metabolic health. These are currently active research directions in cancer sports medicine. It’s worth noting that the CHALLENGE study used a professionally supported, individualized exercise program lasting three years, rather than just a few minutes of walking now and then. Therefore, exercise should be gradual and adjusted according to the patient's stage of treatment, physical fitness, and disease status.

In addition, cancer patients often experience loss of appetite, weight loss, muscle loss and fatigue after surgery and chemotherapy. At this stage, adequate calories, protein and appropriate nutritional supplements can help maintain muscle and body functions.

Liu Boren concluded that cancer treatment is an arduous journey, and there are still many worthwhile things to do after completing treatment. For example, regular follow-up, balanced diet, appropriate exercise, adequate sleep, and maintaining a positive and calm attitude towards life are all helpful in taking care of long-term health.