Regular exercise, a healthy diet, and balanced lifestyle habits may reduce the risk of colorectal cancer and lower the chances of it recurring, according to new studies presented at the annual meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO).
Colon cancer begins in the large intestine, the final part of the digestive tract. It is also called colorectal cancer when it affects both the colon and the rectum.
The research was conducted between 2009 and 2024 on nearly 900 colon cancer patients who had completed their chemotherapy. Half of the patients received a booklet with advice on healthy eating and exercise, while the other half also worked with a personal fitness coach for three years, CNN reported.
Research showed those who followed a fitness routine were at least 28 per cent less likely to see their cancer relapse. In addition to this, people who received an exercise consultant had a five-year disease-free survival rate of 80 per cent, compared to 74 per cent for the group that only received the booklet.
Dr Christopher Booth, a Professor of Oncology at Queen's University and co-author of the new study, said that regular physical activity could be just as powerful in preventing cancer from recurring as most of the best cancer medicines. He said, "Exercise really should be considered an essential component of the treatment of colon cancer."
He mentioned that each person got an exercise plan tailored to their needs and the study found that most people could reach their targets by doing a brisk walk for around an hour three to four times a week.
Researchers are still trying to figure out why and how exercise lowers the chance of cancer. They believe it may be related to exercise lowering inflammation in the body.
Another study presented at the conference showed that people with stage 3 colon cancer who eat an anti-inflammatory diet, such as coffee, tea, and leafy green vegetables, and work out regularly tend to live longer and have a 63 per cent lower risk of death as compared to those who consume inflammatory food such as red meat, processed meat, refined grains and sugar-sweetened beverages.
Dr Sara Char, a clinical fellow in haematology and oncology at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and the lead author of the study, youngsters were more prone to colon cancer due to their lifestyle choices rather than genes.
She said, "When we look at the incidence of colon cancer in younger individuals ... that suggests to us that there is something in the environment-either in the foods we eat, our lifestyles, the chemicals that could be in our foods, all sorts of different things-that are outside of just genetics alone that could be driving these rates."
According to the American Cancer Society, advanced and improved screening has helped in the decades-long decline in colorectal cancer; however, the number of cases is increasing among young people, and by 2030, colorectal cancer is predicted to overtake all other cancers among adults aged 20 to 49.
The organisation predicts that about 53,000 Americans will lose their lives to it this year, and over 150,000 will receive a diagnosis.
On Friday, Pfizer, a pharmaceutical company, provided information about Braftovi, a medication used to treat colorectal cancer when combined with an antibody medication and normal chemotherapy.
Individuals with advanced colorectal cancer who were treated with the drug combination lived twice as long, on average, for 30 months, compared to 15 months with currently available treatments, according to the trial.
