Exercise is Medicine for Cancer and Every Minute Counts

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Highlights:

• In men, prostate cancer begins when cells in the prostate gland start to grow out of control
• A single bout of exercise can raise myokines, which are anti-cancer proteins, even higher, resulting in additional cancer suppression
• Researchers found that 34 minutes of high interval exercise raised myokines by 17 percent

Recent research shows that increased levels of myokines can help suppress tumor growth and actively fight cancerous cells. Myokines are proteins that are produced by skeletal muscles during exercise.(1^✔).

Exercise oncology, the application of exercise medicine in cancer, has been rapidly evolving in the clinical oncology field and has provided a strong basis for cancer patients to be engaged in physical activity or exercise (2^✔). Moreover, studies in the field have consistently shown an inverse association between physical activity and disease progression as well as cancer-specific mortality in patients, including those with prostate cancer, which is the most common non-skin cancer in men (3^✔).

‘In people with advanced prostate cancer, a single bout of exercise has been shown to increase anti-cancer proteins called myokines to levels that can significantly suppress tumor growth.’

Previous studies have shown men with advanced prostate cancer can change the chemical environment of their body over six months of exercise training to suppress growth of cancer cells (4^✔).

Exercise Can Reduce Cancer

A new study has shown that a single bout of exercise can elevate myokines even further and induce additional cancer suppression. More importantly, this exercise-induced medicine occurs in patients with incurable, advanced cancer where the disease has advanced and patients have already received extensive treatment over many years.

Nine patients with late-stage prostate cancer performed 34 minutes of high intensity exercise on a stationary cycle, with blood serum collected immediately before and after, and then again 30 minutes post-workout.

Researchers found that the serum obtained immediately after this �dose' of exercise contained elevated levels of anti-cancer myokines resulting in suppressed growth of prostate cancer cells in vitro by around 17 percent. Serum myokine levels and cancer suppression returned to baseline after 30 minutes.

How Does Exercise Suppress Cancer?

The findings of this research are exciting because it reported for the first time ever that men with advanced prostate cancer are able to produce an acute elevation in anti-cancer molecules called myokines in response to a single bout of vigorous exercise. This also helps in understanding why patients with cancer who exercise exhibit slower disease progression and survive for longer.

These patients are palliative, so there is no cure and they will eventually succumb - however, there is evidence that exercise will extend survival and the increased myokine levels explored in our recent paper is a prime mechanism.
Ideal Amount of Exercise for Cancer While the optimal dose of exercise is still unknown, but it is likely to be 20-plus minutes each day and must include resistance training to grow the muscles, increase the size and capacity of the internal pharmacy, and stimulate the myokine production.

The study provides strong evidence that those suffering from cancer should exercise most days. If not every day, to maintain a chemical environment within their body which is suppressive of cancer cell proliferation.

Although there is further research still to be done, the results of this study could help shape the advice given to cancer patients immediately.

References:

1. Acute effect of high-intensity interval aerobic exercise on serum myokine levels and resulting tumour-suppressive effect in trained patients with advanced prostate cancer - (https:pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36446945/)
2. Exercise is medicine in oncology: Engaging clinicians to help patients move through cancer - (https:pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31617590/)
3. Physical Activity and Survival among Long-term Cancer Survivor and Non-Cancer Cohorts - (https:www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5306330/)
4. Myokine Expression and Tumor-Suppressive Effect of Serum after 12 wk of Exercise in Prostate Cancer Patients on ADT - (https:pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34559721/)

Source: Medindia

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