The effect of acute exercise on circulating immune cells in newly diagnosed breast cancer patients

Abstract

The role of exercise in cancer prevention and control is increasingly recognized, and based on preclinical studies, it is hypothesized that mobilization of leukocytes plays an important role in the anti-tumor effect. Thus, we examined how 10-min acute exercise modulates immune cells in newly diagnosed breast cancer patients. Blood samples were taken at rest, immediately after exercise and 30 min after exercise and phenotypic characterization of major leukocyte subsets was done using 9-color flow cytometry. Total leukocyte count increased by 29%, CD8+ T cell count by 34%, CD19+ B cell count by 18%, CD56+CD16+ NK cell count by 130%, and CD14+CD16+ monocyte count by 51% immediately after acute exercise. Mobilization of CD45+, CD8+, CD19+, and CD56+CD16+ cells correlated positively with exercising systolic blood pressure, heart rate percentage of age predicted maximal heart rate, rate pressure product, and mean arterial pressure. Our findings indicate that a single bout of acute exercise of only 10 min can cause leukocytosis in breast cancer patients. Mobilization of leukocytes appear to be directly related to the intensity of exercise. It is possible that the positive effect of exercise on oncologic outcome might be partly due to immune cell mobilization as documented in the present study.

Effect of Sugar- and Polyphenol-Rich, Diluted Cloudy Apple Juice on the Intestinal Barrier after Moderate Endurance Exercise and in Ultra-Marathon Runners

“…Soluble CD14 detected in serum is known to be a nonspecific marker of monocyte activation, independent of bacterial endotoxin [34]. The observed increase in the CD14 protein induced by exercise is in line with reports from the literature [35]. In Figure 5C, it is clearly visible that the concentration of soluble CD14 in the serum differed between the respective groups 180 min after exercise.…”

“…However, in the water group, the CD14 protein levels also did not decrease after 180 min. The observed increase in the CD14 protein serum concentrations 180 min after exercise could be interpreted as an indirect marker for leukocytosis [35,36]. Exercise has been shown to increase circulating neutrophil and monocyte counts and reduce circulating lymphocyte counts during recovery after physical activity.…”

Voluntary wheel running reduces tumor growth and increases capillarity in the heart during doxorubicin chemotherapy in a murine model of breast cancer

“…However, we did not measure this or other effects on the immune system cells and, therefore, cannot speculate whether this contributed to the increased tumor apoptosis. In the current study, measuring immune cell infiltration was not possible as it is sensitive to the timing of the exercise bout, which cannot be controlled when using voluntary running exercise ( Koivula et al, 2023 ). Therefore, further investigations are needed regarding possible changes in immune cell infiltration and subcutaneous mammary tumor blood flow, with in vivo imaging being the best way to confirm whether blood flow to the subcutaneous mammary tumors during rest is improved as a result of exercise training.…”

A Multiomics Assessment of Preoperative Exercise in Pancreatic Cancer Survivors Receiving Neoadjuvant Therapy: A Case Series

“…Indeed exercise-mediated impact on leukocyte populations is well established. Recent work has begun to demonstrate impacts in breast cancer patients as well, who exhibited exercise intensity-dependent leukocyte mobilization [ 41 ].…”