The evidence is clear: exercise can change outcomes in cancer care. The Canadian-led CHALLENGE clinical trial showed just how powerful structured exercise can be. Among people living with stage 3 or high-risk stage 2 colon cancer, participants had a 28% lower risk of recurrence or developing a second cancer, and a 37% lower risk of death. “The big thing that it showed is that exercise really did change these outcomes that we look for in oncology trials.” –Dr Kristin Campbell Across Canada, CSEP members are helping translate this evidence into action. Dr Nicole Culos-Reed, Dr Lauren Capozzi, and Dr Daniel Santa Mina, PhD, are advancing evidence-based exercise support through initiatives such as Thrive Health’s Cancer & Exercise Certification and PrehabRx. For CSEP, this evidence reinforces the need to better integrate qualified exercise professionals into cancer care. Safe, effective exercise support should be more accessible to Canadians living with and beyond cancer. “If the system is willing to fund these drugs that have a comparable advantage that cost hundreds of thousands of dollars, why is it not willing to cover the costs of another intervention that has similar at a fraction of the cost? One-10th to one-100th of the cost.” –Dr Santa Mina CSEP is proud to have contributed to the review of scientific evidence and the development of exercise guidelines for cancer survivors, and to have supported Healthing's publication of this article.
When Alethea Greyeyes was diagnosed with breast cancer, she faced a grueling gauntlet of treatment: a double mastectomy, 15 rounds of chemotherapy and 15 rounds of radiation. As an ultramarathon runner and coach, she knew firsthand the power of movement, but she was stepping into a medical world that historically told cancer patients to simply stay in bed and rest. The science has finally caught up to what Alethea instinctively knew. Movement is a critical component of cancer care. Data from a major clinical trial reveals that structured, doable exercise during and after treatment can lower the risk of cancer recurrence by 28 per cent and reduce the risk of death by 37 per cent. For Alethea, exercising during recovery was not about running trails right away. It started with gentle range-of-motion stretching to prevent painful post-surgery complications like frozen shoulder, and using targeted activity to combat the severe fatigue caused by chemotherapy. Physical activity gives patients their agency back during a time when they feel they have none. Today, free virtual programs are making safe, professional oncology rehabilitation accessible to patients right from home. This month, Alethea is back on the trails competing in a 50-mile ultramarathon. Her journey is a powerful reminder that physical activity is not just a lifestyle choice—it is medicine. Read her full story and the clinical research here: https://lnkd.in/g3W8cWNy #CancerSupport #OncologyRehab #CancerSurvivor #PatientEmpowerment #EvidenceBasedHealth Canadian Society for Exercise Physiology (CSEP) Société canadienne de physiologie de l’exercice SCPE