尊龙凯时 - 人生就是搏!

Recent research highlights that structured exercise is a powerful tool for reducing the risk of colorectal cancer. It is also significant to notice how individuals who regularly participate in supervised physical activity after initial chemo treatment show significantly improved survival rates and overall health compared to those who only receive general health education.

Incorporating exercise into daily routines is increasingly recognized as an effective way to strengthen the body’s natural defenses and lower the risk of colorectal cancer in the long term. Early detection, however, remains the most effective way to reduce colorectal cancer mortality.

Transforming Cancer Outcomes

Colorectal cancer remains one of the world’s most common and deadly cancers. According to the World Health Organization's data, nearly 1.9 million new cases and over 900,000 deaths each year globally.

Chart based on World Cancer Research Fund Statistics

Multiple researches have established exercise as a powerful tool for reducing CRC risk. Meta-analyses on PubMed consistently demonstrate that physically active individuals have a 24% to 30% lower risk of developing the disease compared to sedentary populations.

A study from The German Medical Association following over 150,000 participants found that those exercising more than seven hours weekly experienced a 40% reduction in colon cancer risk.

Building on this strong foundation, new evidence provides compelling insight into exercise’s life-saving potential for those already affected by colorectal cancer.

A clinical trial recently published on The International Journal of Medicine now shows that structured exercise can reduce the risk of colon cancer recurrence and death more effectively than some standard drug therapies. This development is reshaping cancer care and empowering patients with a new, proof-based tool beyond traditional medicine.

The Colon Health and Life-Long Exercise Change (CHALLENGE) trial followed 889 patients from six countries who had completed surgery and chemotherapy for stage III or high-risk stage II colon cancer. One group received standard health education, while the other joined a three-year supervised exercise program.

Over nearly eight years, the results were striking: disease-free survival at five years was 80.3% in the exercise group, compared to 73.9% in the control group. At eight years, overall survival reached 90.3% for those who exercised, versus 83.2% for those who did not. The risk of recurrence  sharply dropped and so did the risk of death in the exercise group.

These benefits rival, and sometimes surpass, the effects of chemotherapy drugs like oxaliplatin, but without severe side effects. Most exercise-related issues were mild muscle or joint aches, affecting fewer than one in five participants.

Dr. Kerry Courneya, lead investigator of the CHALLENGE trial, remarked, “Exercise is no longer just a quality-of-life intervention that can be offered when and where possible. It is a treatment for colon cancer that must be made available to all patients.”

How Exercise Works as Medicine

Exercise activates the body’s natural defenses. It mobilizes immune cells that target cancer, lowers inflammation, improves blood flow, balances hormones, and helps maintain a healthy weight. Always according to the World Health Organization, up to 50% of colorectal cancer cases could be prevented by healthy lifestyle choices, including regular physical activity. These biological changes help explain why exercise can protect as well as, or even better than, some chemotherapy regimens, but with far fewer adverse effects.

New scientific insights continue to shed light on why exercise is so effective.  A paper recently published in Cell revealed that physical activity triggers specific molecular changes in the colon’s immune environment, enhancing the body’s ability to suppress tumor growth. These findings further support the idea that regular exercise doesn’t just improve general health—it directly influences biological pathways that protect against colorectal cancer.

Complete guidelines: Irish Cancer Society.

The Power of Early Screening

Early detection remains the most effective way to reduce colorectal cancer mortality. Screening can identify precancerous polyps and early-stage cancers when treatment is most successful. While effective, traditional screening methods like colonoscopy are invasive and often underutilized.

This is where COLOTECT®, a non-invasive stool DNA test developed by BGI Genomics, plays a transformative role. Recent clinical data demonstrate that this test offers higher sensitivity for detecting colorectal cancer compared to the commonly used fecal immunochemical test (FIT). It detects multiple genetic and epigenetic markers associated with CRC, enabling earlier and more accurate diagnosis. COLOTECT®’s convenience and accuracy have the potential to increase screening participation, especially among populations reluctant to undergo invasive procedures.

COLOTECT® detects CRC non-invasively with 88% accuracy, outperforming traditional test:.

As Dr. Elisabete Weiderpass, Director of the International Agency for Research on Cancer, emphasizes: “Prevention and early detection are our most powerful tools in the fight against colorectal cancer. By combining healthy lifestyle choices with accessible, effective screening, we can save countless lives.”

About COLOTECT®

COLOTECT® is a non-invasive fecal DNA test developed by BGI Genomics for detecting CRC and precancerous lesions. It uses multiplex methylation-specific PCR (MSP) technology to trace abnormal DNA-methylation biomarkers in CRC from stool samples. COLOTECT® has a sensitivity of 88% for detecting CRC, and a sensitivity of 46% for the early detection of advanced adenomas—both of which outperform conventional fecal tests.

About BGI Genomics

BGI Genomics, headquartered in Shenzhen, China, is the world's leading integrated solutions provider of precision medicine. Our services cover more than 100 countries and regions, involving more than 2,300 medical institutions. In July 2017, as a subsidiary of BGI Group, BGI Genomics (300676.SZ) was officially listed on the Shenzhen Stock Exchange.