Exercise as a Potential Intervention to Modulate Cancer Outcomes in Children and Adults?

Abstract

Exercise is recommended for the healthy population as it increases fitness and prevents diseases. Moreover, exercise is also applied as an adjunct therapy for patients with various chronic diseases including cancer. Childhood cancer is a rare, heterogeneous disease that differs from adult cancer. Improved therapeutic strategies have increased childhood cancer survival rates to above 80% in developed countries. Although this is higher than the average adult cancer survival rate of about 50%, therapy results often in substantial long-term side effects in childhood cancer survivors. Exercise in adult cancer patients has many beneficial effects and may slow down tumor progression and improve survival in some cancer types, suggesting that exercise may influence cancer cell behavior. In contrast to adults, there is not much data on general effects of exercise in children. Whilst it seems possible that exercise might delay cancer progression or improve survival in children as well, there is no reliable data yet to support this hypothesis. Depending on the type of cancer, animal studies of adult cancer types show that the exercise-induced increase of the catecholamines epinephrine and norepinephrine, have suppressive as well as promoting effects on cancer cells. The diverse effects of exercise in adult cancer patients require investigating whether these results can be achieved in children with cancer.

Tailored Exercise during Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation Hospitalization in Children with Cancer: A Prospective Cohort Study

“…Indeed, a moderate-intensity exercise intervention has been proven to increase NK cytotoxic activity in children undergoing HSCT, who are immune-compromised [ 7 ]. Notwithstanding, the evidence on the role of exercise on immune function in childhood cancer is inconclusive [ 20 ]. The biological mechanisms by which regular exercise might improve immune function, and particularly that of NK cells, remain elusive, although some candidate transcripts in peripheral blood mononuclear cells encoding ribosomal and oxidative phosphorylation proteins [ 21 ], or some transcriptomic changes (e.g., in translocation methylcytosine dioxygenase 1 (involved in DNA demethylation)), might be involved [ 22 ].…”

Adverse Events During Supervised Exercise Interventions in Pediatric Oncology—A Nationwide Survey

“…Survival rates in children and adolescents with cancer have increased over the last decades and researchers and health care providers attempt to improve the quality of survival and reduction of negative side effects during treatment and survivorship (1). In this context, exercise program, are one possible supportive approach to increase health-related quality of life and counteract the disease and treatment related negative effects (2). Although research about the effectiveness of such exercise programs is still limited, first evidence supports positive effects on muscle strength, cardiopulmonary capacity, functional mobility, fatigue, and quality of life (3)(4)(5)(6).…”

Exercise as a method to reduce the risk of oral cancer: A narrative review

“…Programmed exercise can be used as a cancer prevention method, to improve physical fitness and prevent several chronic diseases. 38 Exercise helps lower the risk of cancer, reduces treatment-related adverse effects and can improve cancer treatment's curative impact. According to Hojman et al, several systemic factors, such as sympathetic stimulation, increased blood flow, tissue stress and elevated body temperature are experienced during exercise, which can put direct pressure on tumour homeostasis and metabolism.…”