Exercise improves colon cancer survival, Canadian researchers say – CTV
June 01, 2025
TORONTO — Canadian researchers say a new study shows regular exercise improves survival for colon cancer patients.
The study, published Sunday in the New England Journal of Medicine, found that patients who participated in a supervised exercise program after completing their chemotherapy were 28 per cent less likely to have their colon cancer return than patients in the control group.
“It’s the first clinical trial in the world asking whether exercise can improve cancer survival. And in fact, the results were astounding,” Dr. Christopher Booth, a co-chair of the international study and a medical oncologist at Kingston Health Sciences Centre in Kingston, Ont., said in an interview.
The patients in the exercise group regularly met with a physical activity consultant — usually a physiotherapist, kinesiologist or personal trainer — to help them stick to a structured exercise program for three years.
The patients in the control group received health education materials that encouraged physical fitness after their chemotherapy, but were not given a physical activity support person.
The patients in the structured exercise group had a 37 per cent lower risk of death than those in the control group, the study said.
