The role of exercise to help fight cancer
Exercise already plays an important role in oesophageal cancer care, helping patients improve their fitness before major surgery and better tolerate chemotherapy. Excitingly, emerging research suggests that exercise may also strengthen the body’s natural ability to fight cancer. Animal studies have shown that exercise can mobilise cancer-fighting immune cells into the bloodstream and encourage them to enter tumours, but whether this happens in patients remains unclear.
The OPTIMUS study, led by PhD researcher Jamal Dirie under the supervision of Mr Nima Abbassi Ghadi, Consultant Oesophago-Gastric Surgeon at Royal Surrey County Hospital, aims to explore this important question. By investigating how different exercise programmes during chemotherapy influence immune responses in the blood and within tumours, we hope to uncover how exercise might help the body fight oesophageal cancer more effectively.
Understanding these effects could pave the way for tailored exercise programmes that work alongside cancer treatments, potentially improving outcomes and empowering patients to take an active role in their care. By donating to
PROGRESS, you can help us advance this exciting research and bring us closer to improving treatment and outcomes for future patients.
