Routine, moderate exercise has long been linked to an array of positive health outcomes, but new research suggests that it could also aid in keeping cancer patients in remission. New findings, published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine, had churned through available records and evidence and concluded that structured exercise could help those with cancer live longer and have more time in remission. The Taiwanese researchers had examined 123 previous studies and 21 clinical trials from around the world, publishing that those who exercised as part of a care or wellness routine were 23 percent less likely to pass away and 17 percent less likely to have cancer again than those who did not exercise.
Researchers also found that those who exercised were 18 percent less likely to pass away from any disease, and 26 percent less likely to die from the cancer they had originally been diagnosed with. Those who completed 70 percent of their assigned exercise regimen made up the latter. "These results support consideration of structured exercise as an effective adjuvant therapy in oncological care, with potential survival and recurrence benefits that extend beyond its traditional role in improving quality of life," the study authors said.
Lucy Hooper, a medical doctor and co-founder of Coyne Medical, weighed in on the findings. "This is a great review because it brings together the evidence and shows really clearly the potential power of exercise after a cancer diagnosis," Hooper told Newsweek. "In cancer treatment, new drugs or treatment regimens such as chemotherapy may be recommended even when they reduce the risk of recurrence by only a few percentage points.
The size of the effect being seen with exercise here is therefore really striking. If exercise were a pill, with benefits of this magnitude, it would be a bestseller." Cancer is a leading cause of death worldwide, with secondary or returning cancer arising in 20 to 40 percent of patients, even after intense treatments like chemotherapy. Experts know that exercise is generally thought to ease fatigue and improve the quality of life of some patients, but the researchers wanted to explore its potential to prolong survival too.
They combed through databases for randomized controlled clinical trials published until the end of 2025 on survival and disease recurrence in adults with cancer who were told to follow specific workout routines. They initially pulled together 123 studies, including 21 clinical trials, from North America, Europe, Australia, and Asia, involving a total of 8,449 participants. They noted that 88 percent of participants were women, and that the average age of all participants was 54 (range 47-76).
The researchers also found that the average monitoring period for this planned exercise was 64 months. After pooling the data, they discovered that structured exercise was associated with significant improvements in survival, instead of known results like mental wellness and physical capability. Despite the positive findings, there was, however, no clear evidence that structured exercise prolonged the time before patients’ cancer worsened or increased the likelihood that no invasive cancer remained after routine treatments like chemotherapy.
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