Results were comparable to those seen from a new drug
of ConsumerAffairsJune 2, 2025
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Patients who followed a structured exercise program after treatment saw a 28% lower risk of cancer returning
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Risk of death dropped by 37%, comparable to benefits from new drugs
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Experts call for broad implementation and health system support
A groundbreaking clinical trial has shown that a structured exercise program can significantly reduce the risk of colon cancer returning after surgery and chemotherapyoffering benefits on par with some of the most promising new cancer drugs.
Presented Sunday at the annual meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) and published in the New England Journal of Medicine, the study followed 889 patients with stage III and high-risk stage II colon cancer.
Researchers at Queens University in Canada randomly assigned participants to either a personalized, coached exercise regimen or to receive educational materials about exercise. After nearly eight years of follow-up, cancer had returned in 93 patients in the exercise group versus 131 in the control groupa 28% reduction in recurrence risk.
The overall survival results are even more impressive, said lead researcher Christopher Booth, an oncologist and professor at Queens University. The exercise group had a 37% lower risk of death. At the eight-year mark, 90% of these patients were still alive, compared to 83% of the control group.
Booth, who began developing the study as a graduate student in 2009, said patients benefited not just physically, but emotionally as well. Patients feel empowered by thisthey feel agency for their own health, he said.
The structured program involved a coach who tailored activities for each patient and provided ongoing support for up to three years. The total cost of the program, Booth noted, was between $3,000 and $4,000modest compared to most cancer treatments. He emphasized that education alone was not enough: Policy implementation is key. We need health systems and payers to support these programs.
Findings are a “no-brainer”
Pamela Kunz, a gastrointestinal cancer expert at Yale, called the findings a no-brainer for widespread adoption: This is the first randomized phase 3 trial to show post-treatment exercise improves disease-free survival.
Physicians can play a key role, said ASCO chief medical officer Julie Gralow. She encourages clinicians to ask patients about their activity levels and lead by example. When they see youre doing it, they know they can, too, she said.
The study underscores a critical shift in cancer care: lifestyle interventions, when supported and sustained, can offer survival benefits once thought achievable only with pharmaceuticals.
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