Published Research
Team Survivor Northwest is committed to keeping our members up to date on relevant cancer and fitness-related scientific studies.

American Cancer Society guideline for diet and physical activity for cancer prevention
Rock, Cheryl L. PhD, RD, et al., Ca Cancer J Clin, 2020. Vol 70, Iss 4, 245-271.
“The American Cancer Society (ACS) publishes the Diet and Physical Activity Guideline to serve as a foundation for its communication, policy, and community strategies and, ultimately, to affect dietary and physical activity patterns among Americans. This guideline is developed by a national panel of experts in cancer research, prevention, epidemiology, public health, and policy, and reflects the most current scientific evidence related to dietary and activity patterns and cancer risk. The ACS guideline focuses on recommendations for individual choices regarding diet and physical activity patterns, but those choices occur within a community context that either facilitates or creates barriers to healthy behaviors. Therefore, this committee presents recommendations for community action to accompany the 4 recommendations for individual choices to reduce cancer risk. These recommendations for community action recognize that a supportive social and physical environment is indispensable if individuals at all levels of society are to have genuine opportunities to choose healthy behaviors.” To read the full article, click the button below.

American College of Sports Medicine Roundtable Report on Physical Activity, Sedentary Behavior, and Cancer Prevention and Control
Patel, AV, et al., Official Journal of the American College of Sports Medicine, 2391-2402
Conclusions: “Collectively, there is consistent, compelling evidence that physical activity plays a role in preventing many types of cancer and for improving longevity among cancer survivors, although the evidence related to higher risk of melanoma demonstrates the importance of sun safe practices while being physically active. Together, these findings underscore the importance of physical activity in cancer prevention and control. Fitness and public health professionals and healthcare providers worldwide are encouraged to spread the message to the general population and cancer survivors to be physically active as their age, abilities, and cancer status will allow.”

Exercise Guidelines for Cancer Survivors: Consensus Statement from International Multidisciplinary Roundtable
Campbell, KL, Winters-Stone, KM, et al., Official Journal of the American College of Sports Medicine, 1-16.
“Overall findings retained the conclusions that exercise training and testing were generally safe for cancer survivors and that every survivor should “avoid inactivity.” Enough evidence was available to conclude that specific doses of aerobic, combined aerobic plus resistance training, and/or resistance training could improve common cancer-related health outcomes, including anxiety, depressive symptoms, fatigue, physical functioning, and health-related quality of life. Implications for other outcomes, such as peripheral neuropathy and cognitive functioning, remain uncertain.” To read the full article, click the button below.

Physical Activity in Cancer Prevention and Survival: A Systematic Review
McTiernan, Anne et al., Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise: June 2019 – Vol 51 – Iss 6, p 1252-1261.
“This article reviews and updates the evidence on the associations between physical activity and risk for cancer, and for mortality in persons with cancer, as presented in the 2018 Physical Activity Guidelines Advisory Committee Scientific Report. In reviewing 45 reports comprising hundreds of epidemiologic studies with several million study participants, the report found strong evidence for an association between highest versus lowest physical activity levels and reduced risks of bladder, breast, colon, endometrial, esophageal adenocarcinoma, renal, and gastric cancers.” To read the full article, click the button below.

Exercise Is Medicine in Oncology: Engaging Clinicians to Help Patients Move Through Cancer
schmitz, Katheryn H., PhD, MPH; et al., Ca Cancer J Clin, 2019; 0:1–17.
“Multiple organizations around the world have issued evidence-based exercise guidance for patients with cancer and cancer survivors. Recently, the American College of Sports Medicine has updated its exercise guidance for cancer prevention as well as for the prevention and treatment of a variety of cancer health-related outcomes (eg, fatigue, anxiety, depression, function, and quality of life). Despite these guidelines, the majority of people living with and beyond cancer are not regularly physically active. Among the reasons for this is a lack of clarity on the part of those who work in oncology clinical settings of their role in assessing, advising, and referring patients to exercise. The authors propose using the American College of Sports Medicine’s Exercise Is Medicine initiative to address this practice gap.” To read the full article, click the button below.

Lifestyle modifications for patients with breast cancer to improve prognosis and optimize overall health
Hamer, Julia, Warner, Ellen., CMAJ. 2017 Feb 21; 189(7): E268–E274.
“Although more than 90% of patients with breast cancer have early stage disease at diagnosis, about 25% will eventually die of distant metastasis. Many patients with breast cancer seek information from a variety of sources about behaviours that may reduce their risk of recurrence. Making positive lifestyle changes can also be psychologically beneficial to patients by empowering them, since the feeling of loss of control is one of biggest challenges of a cancer diagnosis. In this review, we identify which lifestyle changes can be recommended to patients as an adjunct to standard breast cancer treatments, to reduce their risk of distant recurrence and death. We review the role of lifestyle factors, particularly weight management, exercise, diet, smoking, alcohol intake and vitamin supplementation, on the prognosis of patients with breast cancer.” To read the full article, click the button below.

Impact of nutrition and exercise on cancer survival
Irwin ML, Mayne ST., Cancer J. 2008; 14: 435-441.
“An increasing number of men and women are being diagnosed with cancer and many cancer survivors are seeking lifestyle-based approaches to improve survival. The American Cancer Society issued nutrition and physical activity recommendations for cancer survivors in 2006. This article discusses these guidelines, including more recent publications regarding obesity, exercise, diet, and nutrient supplement use in relation to cancer outcomes including survival.” To read the full article, click the button below.

Exercise and Survival After Colorectal Cancer
Meyerhardt, JA et al., J Clin Oncol 2006
Conclusions: “Recreational physical activity after the diagnosis of stages I to III colorectal cancer may reduce the risk of colorectal cancer-specific and overall mortality.” To read the full article, click the button below.

Nurses Health Study: Exercise and Survival After Breast Cancer Diagnosis
Holmes, MD et al., jama 2005
Conclusions: “Physical activity after a breast cancer diagnosis may reduce the risk of death from this disease. The greatest benefit occurred in women who performed the equivalent of walking 3 to 5 hours per week at an average pace, with little evidence of a correlation between increased benefit and greater energy expenditure. Women with breast cancer who follow US physical activity recommendations may improve their survival. Physical activity after a breast cancer diagnosis has been strongly linked to improved quality of life. There is reason to believe that physical activity might extend survival in women with breast cancer. Physical activity also has been linked to a lower risk of breast cancer.”
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