Oral Presentation The Joint Annual Scientific Meetings of the Endocrine Society of Australia and the Society for Reproductive Biology 2017

Exercise as a synergistic medicine for cancer (#140)

Daniel Galvão 1
  1. Edith Cowan University, Joondalup, WA, Australia

Since initial reports in the mid-1980s, there has been increasing interest in the application of exercise as medicine for the prevention and management of cancer. A large number of high-quality RCT’s with cancer survivors have confirmed both aerobic and resistance exercise to be highly beneficial for improving body composition, quality of life, mental health and functional capacity, and reducing the risk of cancer recurrence and development of other chronic diseases. Moreover, data from observational studies indicates a 30-60% reduced risk for mortality. As a result, a logical research priority is to conduct clinical trials to confirm the survival advantage that can be achieved through targeted exercise medicine specifically prescribed to address cancer type, disease stage, and treatment side effects. Our hypothesis is that the relative rate of mortality will be even lower for those patients who undertake tailored exercise medicine. INTERVAL – MCRPC is a multicentre, randomised, controlled phase 3 trial1 evaluating highly specific resistance and aerobic exercise prescription tailored for men with metastatic castrate-resistant prostate cancer with the primary outcome being overall survival. The second research priority is to determine the specific mechanisms by which certain exercise modalities and dosages actually impact tumour biology. For example, Pedersen and co-workers2 reported exercise to suppress tumour growth through NK cell mobilization and tumour infiltration in a rodent model. Understanding these mechanisms combined with our existing knowledge of exercise benefits for associated comorbidities is critical for effective and efficient prescription of exercise medicine for cancer management.3 The potential of exercise as a medicine for cancer management working independently and synergistically with other therapies is considerable and should be further pursued so that such interventions become standard care in people with cancer.