Leisure-Time Physical Activity and Cancer Mortality Among Cancer Survivors

Is engagement in physical activity after a cancer diagnosis associated with longer survival among individuals with a history of bladder, endometrial, kidney, lung, oral, ovarian, or rectal cancer?This pooled analysis of 6 cohort studies involving 17 141 participants found that higher levels of moderate to vigorous physical activity after diagnosis were associated with lower risk of cancer mortality among survivors of bladder, endometrial, lung, and ovarian cancers. Lung and rectal cancer survivors who were inactive before diagnosis but became active after diagnosis had lower risk of cancer mortality.Findings suggest that physical activity may benefit survivors of cancer, even if they were inactive prior to diagnosis.

Corresponding Author: Erika Rees-Punia, PhD, Department of Population Science, American Cancer Society, 270 Peachtree Rd, Atlanta, GA 30303 (erika.rees-punia@cancer.org).

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