New Perth-based research shows that proteins produced during exercise can inhibit tumour growth and proliferation of prostate cancer cells.
Exercise is good for optimal heart health, but it can also help fight the growth of prostate cancer cells. This is one of the key findings of a new study evaluating the effects of a 12-week exercise program on prostate cancer cells. The study also identified a key player behind this anti-cancer effect of exercise: a specific group of proteins, called myokines, which are produced by muscles following a period of intense training.
The findings may help explain why cancer seems to progress more slowly in patients who exercise, said Professor Robert Newton, from Edith Cowan University (ECU), in Joondalup, WA, who led the study.
“The patients’ levels of anti-cancer myokines increased in the three months. When we took their pre-exercise blood and their post-exercise blood and placed it over living prostate cancer cells, we saw a significant suppression of the growth of those cells from the post-training blood,” he said.
“That’s quite substantial indicating longer term exercise creates a cancer suppressive environment in the body,” he added.
The findings also hint at the importance of remaining active when diagnosed with prostate cancer and according to Prof Newton, the observed results may even apply more broadly. “We believe this mechanism may apply to many other cancers,” he said.
About the study
The study involved 10 prostate cancer patients, who were obese and currently undertaking androgen deprivation therapy, and agreed to take part in a 12-week exercise program.
Participants engaged in supervised resistance training, self-directed aerobic exercise, and protein supplementation. The type of exercise involved is an important aspect of this research, Prof Newton explains, as cancer patients undertaking androgen deprivation therapy can end up overweight or obese and with low muscle mass.
“The key purpose of the study was to try and reduce body fat in these patients with prostate cancer while being very careful to maintain or increase muscle mass. Myokines are released from muscle and the larger the muscle mass the greater will be the volume of myokine molecules released into the body.” Prof Newton said.
Participants provided resting blood samples before and after their 12-week exercise program and researchers applied the serum extracted from these samples directly onto prostate cancer cells to assess the effect on growth and proliferation.
After analysing their results, researchers found a clear trend. Cancer cell lines treated with blood serum collected after the exercise program experienced significant reduction in number (about 21.3%) and growth rate (22.5%), compared to cell lines exposed to blood serum collected from patients before the start of the exercise program.
“This finding is clinically significant because it indicates that the exercise intervention has altered the systemic environment to be less supportive of cancer cell proliferation.” stated Prof Newton.
The results of this study provide significant evidence of the potential benefits of doing resistance training and aerobic exercise, aimed at losing fat and increasing muscle mass.
The take home message, according to Prof Newton, is that cancer patients ought to pursue a more active lifestyle and try to exercise each day to “dose” their body with anticancer “exercise medicine”.
“Our recommendation and that of international guidelines is that people with cancer should try to be active on most if not every day, regardless of cancer type, stage or even when undergoing difficult treatments,” Prof Newton said.
But before jumping on a treadmill, cancer patients are advised to consult with an expert. “To receive an assessment and tailored exercise program it is best to consult with an accredited exercise physiologist.” Prof Newton added.