Sakditad Saowapa, Oncologist at UI Holden Comprehensive Cancer Center, shared a post on LinkedIn about a recent article by Kathryn H. Schmitz and Jennifer A. Ligibel, published in Journal of Clinical Oncology:
“If exercise were a pill, we’d prescribe it to every cancer patient — and now the evidence is even stronger.
The newly published CHALLENGE trial (889 pts, stage II–III colon cancer) shows:
- 28% improvement in disease-free survival
- 37% improvement in overall survival
- Fewer distant mets and fewer second primary cancers
We already know exercise reduces fatigue, anxiety, depression, lymphedema, and improves QoL — but now we have hard survival data.
But unlike a pill, exercise needs infrastructure:
- Evidence-based FITT prescriptions (aerobic + resistance)
- Behavioral support, not just pamphlets
- Trained oncology-certified PT/OT and exercise professionals
- Validated triage tools (e.g., EXCEEDS) to match patients to the right program
- Accreditation and CMS policies to ensure access regardless of insurance
- ROI plus cost analyses to support real adoption
- Integration into EHR workflows so every patient can be connected to the right exercise pathway
Bottom line:
Exercise is one of the most evidence-backed interventions in oncology — improving symptoms, quality of life, recurrence risk, and now survival. To make it true standard of care, we must build the systems, workforce, and payment models that medications already have.”
Title: If Exercise Were a Pill, We’d All Prescribe It to Patients With Cancer. But It’s Not
Authors: Kathryn H. Schmitz, Jennifer A. Ligibel
Read the Full Article on Journal of Clinical Oncology
More posts featuring Sakditad Saowapa.