Exercise medicine is a relatively inexpensive cancer treatment that is highly effective, safe, and side-effect-free when prescribed correctly, according to Robert Newton AM, professor of exercise medicine at Edith Cowan University, in his book My Exercise Medicine for Cancer.1
Exercise is the key to surviving cancer, according to Yale Cancer Center, NASA, and NHK World Japan. Exercise and fitness reduce the risk of 13 types of cancer—including colon, postmenopausal breast, and endometrial cancer—by up to 18 to 32%.2 Exercise may even help reduce the risk of some cancers, such as breast cancer, from returning.3 In fact, physical inactivity is one of the four largest contributors to Australia’s cancer burden.4
What Do Astronauts and Cancer Patients Have in Common?
NASA research challenges the traditional notion that you should rest during cancer treatment. Instead, NASA’s studies on exercise could hold the key to a long, healthy life after a cancer diagnosis. Dr. Jessica Scott began her career at NASA, where she spent seven years designing exercise programs for astronauts in outer space. Now, as the principal investigator at the world-leading Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, she is using her expertise in the fight against cancer. In her research, Dr. Scott discovered that vigorous exercise can help cancer patients and survivors. Vigorous exercise is activity that can be safely performed at 80% of maximum heart rate.
How exercise fights cancer:
– It reduces insulin and insulin-like growth factors that can encourage cancer cells to grow.
– It helps move waste and cancer-causing toxins out of the body more quickly.
– It lowers blood estrogen levels, which is important for reducing breast cancer risk.
– The shear force of blood flow generated during vigorous exercise may kill circulating tumor cells.
– It strengthens the immune system, helping to prevent cancer cells from growing.
– It decreases muscle loss, which in turn supports immune and endocrine function.
– It releases myokines that help suppress cancer.
Cancer patients who maintain a regular exercise regimen have been shown to experience decreased muscle loss and increased survival rates. Dr. Rhonda Patrick, PhD, scientist and founder of FoundMyFitness Science podcast, says we now know that muscle tissue is a major endocrine organ that releases myokines as signals to all the other tissues in the body. Precise exercise prescription drives endogenous medicine, benefiting every organ system in the body. Muscle tissue is also a major moderator of signaling to our immune system and modulating its effectiveness. Therefore, patients with low muscle mass likely have a dramatically compromised immune capacity, which can make it harder to fight their cancer. Exercise increases muscle mass, creating a more cancer-suppressive environment, enhancing the effectiveness of treatments, and reducing the side effects of cancer treatments.
Dr. Melinda Irwin, PhD, MPH, associate dean of research and the Susan Dwight Bliss Professor of Epidemiology (Chronic Diseases) at the Yale School of Public Health, and deputy director of the Yale Cancer Center, is a leading authority on exercise, nutrition, and cancer. In her Colon Health and Life-Long Exercise Change, or CHALLENGE, trial, led by the Canadian Cancer Trials Group, 889 colon cancer patients were enrolled across 55 treatment centers. Patients were randomized to a health education control group or a three-year exercise intervention. After nearly eight years of follow-up, the results were striking: patients in the exercise group had an overall 37% reduction in mortality compared to those in the health education control group. The overall survival was 90.3% in the exercise group versus 83.2% in the group that received only educational materials alone.5
In conclusion, targeted exercise has been shown to improve quality of life and potentially extend life in cancer patients. It may increase the effectiveness of chemotherapy and radiation therapy and reduce their side effects, as well as support patients as they prepare for and recover from surgery. As a result, targeted exercise is increasingly being established as a first-line treatment and an essential component of overall cancer care.
Professor Robert Newton AM, PhD, DSc, is a professor of exercise medicine at Edith Cowan University in Australia and has published My Exercise Medicine for Cancer and Personalizing Exercise for Your Cancer Care, and is a leading voice in exercise oncology research on the Cancer Patient Lab podcast.
World-renowned, Professor Newton has consulted for Nike, the Chicago Bulls, England Rugby, Manchester United, the English and Australian Institutes of Sport, and Surfing Australia.
He has received multiple awards for his research excellence and impact, including the Western Australian Premier’s Scientist of the Year in 2019 and a Higher Doctorate (DSc) from the University of Queensland in 2021. In 2026, Professor Robert Newton AM was awarded membership in the Order of Australia.
About Dr. Edmond Ng
Health & Life Sciences | C-Suite Advisory | Catalyst for Innovation, Technology, Growth & Partnerships | xIBM Global Services | Medical & Medico-legal Doctor, Auditor, Advisor, Author, Educator, Researcher & Reviewer
Founder of SEEDD.Life, Biotechnology Advisors, Ikaria Clinic & Longevity Concierge
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/dredmondng
For References Page
- Admin. “My Exercise Medicine for Cancer – a Book by Prof Rob Newton.” MyExerciseMedicine, n.d. https://myexercisemedicine.net/mem-4-cancer-book/.
- Ellis, Louisa, Roger L. Milne, Melissa M. Moore, Kieron J. Bigby, Craig Sinclair, Darren R. Brenner, Steven C. Moore, Charles E. Matthews, Julie K. Bassett, and Brigid M. Lynch. “Estimating Cancers Attributable to Physical Inactivity in Australia.” Journal of Science and Medicine in Sport 27, no. 3 (December 7, 2023): 149–53. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jsams.2023.12.002.
- Eliassen AH, Hankinson SE, Rosner B, Holmes MD, Willett WC. Physical Activity and Risk of Breast Cancer Among Postmenopausal Women. Arch Intern Med. 2010;170(19):1758–1764. doi:10.1001/archinternmed.2010.363
- Cancer Institute NSW. “Be More Active,” n.d. https://www.cancer.nsw.gov.au/prevention-and-screening/preventing-cancer/reduce-your-cancer-risk/be-more-active.
- Courneya, Kerry S., Janette L. Vardy, Christopher J. O’Callaghan, Sharlene Gill, Christine M. Friedenreich, Rebecca K.S. Wong, Haryana M. Dhillon, et al. “Structured Exercise After Adjuvant Chemotherapy for Colon Cancer.” New England Journal of Medicine 393, no. 1 (June 1, 2025): 13–25. https://doi.org/10.1056/nejmoa2502760.
- Cancer Patient Lab. “‘Personalizing Exercise for Your Cancer Care’ – Rob Newton, PhD, DSc,” October 26, 2025. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O4igTXFA7C4.
- Clinic, Ikaria. “Personalizing Exercise for CANCER – Prof Robert Newton AM, Professor of Exercise Medicine Edith Cowan University – updated Aug 2026…” LinkedIn, February 28, 2026. https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:7433361743982059520/.
- NHK WORLD-JAPAN. “Exercise Is the Key to Surviving Cancer – Medical Frontiers,” April 13, 2025. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=heQutiYP-Po.
- Poitras, Colin. “How Exercise Increases Cancer Survival.” Yale School of Public Health, July 18, 2025. https://ysph.yale.edu/news-article/how-exercise-increases-cancer-survival/.
- ZOE. “Exercise and Cancer: Lessons From NASA Research | Dr. Jessica Scott,” July 4, 2024. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sgJEvW6fW9o.
