Exercise could reduce breast cancer recurrence, finds ECU study

Exercise could potentially reduce the recurrence rate of breast cancer, new research from Edith Cowan University (ECU) has found.

ECU PhD student Mr Francesco Bettariga led the study which found that despite the advances made in breast cancer treatment, recurrence remains common and continued to contribute to higher mortality risks.

In more aggressive cancers, the risk of recurrence can be as high as between 20% to 30%.

“The treatment of breast cancer, which can include chemotherapy, radiation therapy or endocrine therapy, could increase inflammation in the body. Chronic inflammation may increase the risk of the recurrence of breast cancer, as inflammation may promote cancer cell progression and development,” Mr Bettariga said.

His research investigated the effects of exercise in women with non-metastatic breast cancer and found that a combination of resistance exercise and aerobic exercise could reduce pro-inflammatory biomarkers.

“Our research found that three markers of inflammation were significantly reduced by consistent exercise, which is a very encouraging result,” Mr Bettariga added.

While the exact mechanisms behind the reduction in inflammation is still being examined, Mr Bettariga noted that one theory being examined is that exercise results in the body’s muscles releasing a chemical which could be reducing inflammation, while another working theory is that the reduction in inflammation markers could be a result of increases in muscle mass and reductions in body, as both of them could contribute to modulate inflammation.

“What our research was able to confirm was that a combination of both resistance and aerobic exercises had the greatest potential to reduce inflammation. While there are currently no guidelines on how much exercise to do, we would suggest moderate to high intensity aerobic exercises twice to three times weekly, with resistance training added in a few times per week.”

The World Health Organisation estimates that more than 2.3 million people are diagnosed with breast cancer globally each year, and in Australia, breast cancer is the second most diagnosed cancer, following prostate cancer.

In Australia, a woman’s lifetime risk of being diagnosed with breast cancer is one in seven, and for men it is 1 in 556.

Mr Bettariga is hoping to extend the research to identify the potential correlation between the reduction of fat mass and an increase in muscle mass with a decrease in inflammatory markers.

Reference:

Francesco Bettariga, Dennis R Taaffe, Anita Borsati, Alice Avancini, Sara Pilotto, Stefano G Lazzarini, Pedro Lopez, Luca Maestroni, Umberto Crainich, John P Campbell, Timothy D Clay, Daniel A Galvão, Robert U Newton, Effects of exercise on inflammation in female survivors of nonmetastatic breast cancer: a systematic review and meta-analysis, JNCI: Journal of the National Cancer Institute, 2025;, djaf062, https://doi.org/10.1093/jnci/djaf062