Abstract
Due to improvements in the number of cancer survivors and survival time, there is a growing interest in healthy behaviors, such as physical activity (PA), and their potential impact on cancer- and non-cancer-related morbidity in individuals with cancer. Commissioned by the Spanish Society of Medical Oncology (SEOM), in this review, we sought to distill the most recent evidence on this topic, focusing on the mechanisms that underpin the effects of PA on cancer, the role of PA in cancer prevention and in the prognosis of cancer and practical recommendations for clinicians regarding PA counseling. Despite the available information, the introduction of exercise programs into the global management of cancer patients remains a challenge with several areas of uncertainty. Among others, the most effective behavioral interventions to achieve long-term changes in a patient’s lifestyle and the optimal intensity and duration of PA should be defined with more precision in future studies.
Highlights
Regular and adequate physical activity (PA) is associated with key benefits to human health, such as improvements in weight control, muscular and cardiorespiratory fitness, bone and functional health and a reduced risk of falls and severalM
The evidence for endometrial cancer was rated as “probable,” and the results showed a lower risk of endometrial cancer with higher levels of PA [77]
A post-diagnosis activity of at least 10 metabolic equivalent (MET)-hours/week was associated with a decrease in all-cause, and breast cancer (BC) mortality and was not influenced by the heterogeneity; not all the studies could corroborate a decrease in recurrence risk
Summary
Regular and adequate physical activity (PA) is associated with key benefits to human health, such as improvements in weight control, muscular and cardiorespiratory fitness, bone and functional health and a reduced risk of falls and several. A pooled analysis of 12 prospective cohort studies with information on leisure-time PA at baseline compared the group at the 90th percentile of PA with the group under the 10th percentile and showed a reduced incidence of both colon (13% reduction) and rectal cancer (12%) after controlling for body mass index (BMI) [71]. The pooling analysis of 12 cohort studies showed a non-statistically significant reduction of 5% in the most active group at baseline, but this effect was no longer observed when BMI was considered [71]. The WCRF/AICR panel considers limited-not conclusive evidence for kidney cancer [92]; a meta-analysis in 2013 estimated a 12% risk reduction in the high PA group that was stronger when combining only high-quality studies [93]. Malignant melanomas were more frequent in participants at the highest decile of leisure-time PA, a finding attributed to greater sun exposure due to outdoor activity and an increased risk of sunburn [71]
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