Abstract SY29-03: The impact of aerobic exercise on breast cancer progression

Abstract

Abstract In 1924, Otto Warburg first postulated that cancer was caused by altered metabolism, specifically the reliance of cancer cells on glycolysis. Since then, this altered metabolism has been recognized as a "hallmark of cancer," with numerous studies supporting this. It is now clear that pathologies resulting in perturbed homeostasis at the level of the organism, such as obesity, diabetes, and hypercholesterolemia, are also associated with tumor progression. Since aerobic exercise is known to alter systemic homeostasis, we reasoned that it may also impact tumor progression. In this regard, emerging epidemiologic evidence indicates an inverse correlation between exercise and the onset of many forms of cancer, including breast cancer. Intriguingly, several studies have found that self-reported physical activity is associated with decreased recurrence. We have now directly tested the impact of exercise on the progression of breast cancer, using several murine models of mammary cancer, finding that exercise significantly reduces tumor growth and metastasis. Subsequent work has been focused on delineating the molecular mechanisms by which exercise hinders the progression of breast cancer. We will discuss these results and present our current understanding of how exercise influences tumor pathophysiology. Collectively, our work suggests that aerobic exercise may offer an effective complementary adjunct therapy with current standard of care. Citation Format: Erik R. Nelson. The impact of aerobic exercise on breast cancer progression [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2018; 2018 Apr 14-18; Chicago, IL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2018;78(13 Suppl):Abstract nr SY29-03.