Perhaps the most important take-home point of our study is that physicians should consider counseling colorectal cancer survivors to adopt a more physically active lifestyle that is consistent with a patient’s abilities and overall medical condition. Physicians should be reminded that most patients with colorectal cancer do not engage in any activity, and that any activity is better than none.
In our study, even 60 minutes of activity per week was associated with lower risk of all-cause mortality in patients with colorectal cancer. Moreover, the type of activity here isn’t marathon running or a triathlon—most of the activities reported by these participants were lighter, less intense activities, like walking. ■
Disclosure: Dr. Campbell reported no potential conflicts of interest.
Dr. Campbell is Director of the Tumor Repository at American Cancer Society, Atlanta. He was the principal investigator in the study.
