Exercise can be as good as drugs at boosting survival rates for cancer patients, major study finds

CANCER patients should be prescribed exercise as it can be as good as drugs at boosting survival rates, experts found. Patients who were active during treatment were up to 26 per cent less likely to die within five years. Cancer patients should be prescribed exercise as it can be as good as drugs at boosting survival rates, experts found Credit: Getty Patients who were active during treatment were up to 26 per cent less likely to die within five years Credit: Getty They also had a 17 per cent lower risk of cancer returning, compared with non-exercisers. Doctors at the National Taiwan University said the effects were as strong as medication. Sign up for the Health newsletter Thank you! Writing in the British Journal of Sports Medicine they said: “Benefits of structured exercise may extend to outcomes ­traditionally associated with therapeutic interventions.” Fitness makes the heart stronger, boosts the immune system and also helps drugs get into tumours. The review of 21 previous studies found it was associated with significant improvements in overall survival. Author Chih-Chen Tzang said: “On the strength of this, clinicians can reasonably recommend structured exercise as part of oncological care.” Adults are recommended to get at least 2.5 hours of exercise every week. More than 400,000 people are diagnosed with cancer in the UK every year. Most read in Health Keeping fit helps reduce the risk of developing it in the first place and can also speed up recovery. A world-first trial last year found bowel cancer patients with personal trainers were significantly less likely to die from the disease, with one life saved for every 14 people on the programme. Dr Julie Gralow, president of the American Society of Clinical Oncology, said: “This is the same magnitude of benefit as many drugs and drugs are expensive and toxic, so I would say it’s better than a drug.” Comment now