Exercise restores immune system to battle future cancers

After completing chemotherapy, cancer survivors who exercise for several weeks are helping their immune systems become more effective, which in turn, prevents cancer from developing in the future.

The finding, which came from a preliminary study that is being presented at The Integrative Biology of Exercise VI meeting from October 10th to 13th, may help scientists understand why exercise can greatly decrease the risk of secondary cancers in survivors, or in the case where individuals have never been diagnosed, why it can decrease the risk of cancer altogether.

A team of experts, led by Laura Bilek, from the University of Nebraska Medical Center, had a group of 16 cancer survivors participate in a twelve week exercise program for their study. The T cells in the volunteers' blood was examined before the exercise course, and after it was completed.

Analysis showed that a large portion of the immune cells changed from a senescent form to a naïve form. This means that they went from a form that is not as efficient in fighting against cancer to a form that is prepared to protect against disease and infections.

Prior studies have found many associations between exercise and cancer, including:

· that exercise can decrease the chance of developing several different cancers

· that it can improve prognosis in people with cancer

· that it can decrease the chance of recurrence and secondary cancers from developing (Medical News Today)