Higher levels of leisure time Physical Activity after diagnosis of cancer Linked to Lower Mortality: JAMA

A new study published in the Journal of American Medical Association showed that among survivors of seven less-studied cancer types, greater levels of leisure-time moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) following a cancer diagnosis were linked to a lower risk of cancer-related death.

Whether physical exercise prolongs survival among those with a history of malignancies that are less frequently researched for such benefits is not well established. Therefore, this study investigated the relationships between physical activity measured after a cancer diagnosis and cancer mortality. Also, the study looked at changes in physical activity before and after a cancer diagnosis in individuals who had previously been diagnosed with one of seven cancers.

A combined dataset from 6 cohorts was utilized in this study: the Women's Health Study, the National Institutes of Health–AARP Diet and Health Study, the Nurses' Health Study, the Nurses' Health Study II, the Cancer Prevention Study-II Nutrition Cohort, and the Health Professionals Follow-Up Study. Surveys and repeated measurements of leisure-time physical activity were completed by participants who had survived cancers of the bladder, endometrial, kidney, lung, oral cavity, ovarian, or rectal regions.

The period of collection for baseline data was 1976–1997. The follow-up period was 10.9 (7.0) years on average (SD). The period of data analysis was June 2023–March 2024. MVPA during leisure time before to and following a cancer diagnosis. The correlation between cancer mortality and MVPA in metabolic equivalents of task hours per week (MET-h/wk) categories evaluated prior to and a mean (SD) of 2.8 (1.5) years after cancer diagnosis.

Even modest levels of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) were associated with lower cancer mortality in bladder (HR 0.67), endometrial (HR 0.62), and lung cancer (HR 0.56), according to this pooled study of 17,141 cancer survivors (mean age 67 ± 8 years; 60% women). Mortality from oral and rectal malignancies was further reduced by higher exercise (>15 MET-h/week). Although it was not statistically significant, kidney carcinoma had a similar pattern.

Even if they had not been active before, survivors who were active after diagnosis had lower mortality, especially in lung (HR 0.58) and rectal cancer (HR 0.51). Overall, higher levels of MVPA following a cancer diagnosis were linked to a decreased risk of cancer mortality among individuals who had previously been diagnosed with one of seven malignancies that are not frequently examined for their relationship to MVPA. 

Reference:

Rees-Punia, E., Teras, L. R., Newton, C. C., Moore, S. C., Lee, I.-M., Bates-Fraser, L., Chiang, K. E., Bloodworth, D. E., Eliassen, A. H., Mucci, L., Lynch, B. M., Stampfer, M., Song, M., Brantley, K. D., Stopsack, K. H., Matthews, C. E., & Patel, A. V. (2026). Leisure-time physical activity and cancer mortality among cancer survivors. JAMA Network Open, 9(2), e2556971. https://doi.org/10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2025.56971