Exercise amplifies immune attack on pancreatic cancer

Aerobics as an exercise always helps us reprogram our immune system and this has shown to even reduce pancreatic tumor growth thereby amplifying the effects of immunotherapy.

The study is Published in the Cancer Cell journal, and it provides new insight into how the body`s immune system which is designed to attack foreign invaders like bacteria, can also recognize cancer cells as abnormal. Exercise-induced increases in levels of the hormone adrenalin cause changes to the immune system, including in the activity of cells that respond to signaling protein interleukin-15.

The current study found that exercise promotes the survival of CD8 T cells sensitive to IL-15, and doubles the number of them homing to pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) tumors. Such "effector" T cells have been shown by other studies to be capable of killing cancer cells.

Other tests found that aerobic exercise for 30 minutes five times a week reduced the rate of cancer formation by 50 percent in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma, and reduced tumor weight by 25 percent in another.

Hence the authors concluded that aerobic exercise affects the immune microenvironment within pancreatic tumors.