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| | | | |  | Dr. Chris Booth says the reasons exercise had an impact on cancer survival and reoccurrence are a mystery. (Turgut Yeter/CBC) | Melanie Glanz | James Smith woke up from a colonoscopy to be told devastating news. At 59, he was diagnosed with colon cancer. Doctors found a mass so large it completely blocked their view of the rest of his colon. Smith said he was shocked.
"It was hard, it was a hard diagnosis," he said. "It was hard to believe it was actually happening."
Smith underwent surgery and four rounds of chemotherapy. When his doctors suggested he join a study to examine regular exercise and its possible role in preventing cancer recurrence, he said yes. He was concerned — through the course of his treatment he had lost about 26 kilograms, as well as muscle mass. But he joined, anyway.
"At the beginning it was difficult, I won't deny. It was like, 'How am I going to do all this?'"
Though he wasn't included in the final study, he ended up finding the program helped him gain a sense of control over the cancer and his treatments. Smith is now cancer-free and his prognosis is good, he says.
The study, which was published in the New England Journal of Medicine on Sunday, found that for patients with colon cancer, structured exercise did make a difference. Seven years after being diagnosed, 90 per cent of the patients who took part in the structured exercise program over a three-year period were still living. In the group that had only received an informational pamphlet, 83 per cent of participants were still alive.
The researchers don't know exactly why the program had such an impact. But the findings could have significant future implications for how patients with colon cancer, one of the most common cancers, receive treatment.
Helping with traditional treatments
The study enrolled 889 patients from 55 hospitals in Canada, Australia and the United Kingdom. The clinical trial focused on high-risk stages 2 and 3 colon cancer patients who had received surgery and chemotherapy. Half of the group was given the traditional take-home pamphlet recommending diet and exercise and the other half was prescribed a structured exercise program for three years. The study lasted for 15 years, with about half of the participants joining in the beginning and the rest later on.
Patients in the exercise group were assigned a physiotherapist or a personal trainer to check in with at least once a month. But they were free to decide what kind of exercise they wanted to do. They just had to do it for up to 45 minutes, depending on the type, three times a week. For Smith, that meant walking briskly on a treadmill. Other participants biked, swam or hit the gym. In each case, the exercise had to include a sustained, elevated heart rate. (They didn't specify a figure.)
"If someone saw you walking, they would think you are late for an appointment," said Kerry Courneya, a kinesiology professor at the University of Alberta and the lead author of the study.
Courneya launched the research because previous studies had hinted at the benefits of exercise, but nothing was definitive enough to convince doctors. The exercise program is not meant to replace traditional treatments, like surgery and chemotherapy, but is meant to enhance them.
Read more on the finding that combining prescribed exercise with traditional cancer treatments, could be comparable to some chemo drugs. | | | Cross-Canada health news from CBC |  | | Here's how wildfire smoke exposure can impact your health | CBC News | | | | | England is launching a gonorrhea vaccine. Is Canada next? | CBC Nova Scotia | | | | | | | | |  | As of this week, adults of all ages are eligible for public coverage through the national Canadian Dental Care Plan. (Kai Pfaffenbach/Reuters) | | | More than half of Canadians skipping health care such as dental, survey suggests | Amina Zafar | As the Canadian Dental Care Plan expands this week to include all eligible age groups, 35 per cent of Canadians report they've skipped or reduced dental visits, a new survey suggests. Dental care was the most commonly delayed health service, according to the survey released Tuesday.
The Canadian digital insurance company PolicyMe carried out the online survey of 1,500 adults in partnership with the Angus Reid Institute from May 9-12.
More than half of Canadians (56 per cent) said they're delaying health appointments due to costs, with some skipping appointments.
"They're skipping as a result of cost," said Andrew Ostro, CEO and co-founder of PolicyMe in Toronto.
Young adults aged 18 to 34 were the most affected of respondents, according to the survey, with 66 per cent saying they were delaying health care compared with 58 per cent among those aged 35 to 54.
Verlaj Bains, 27, of Toronto, can relate to the survey's findings. About 18 months ago, he started to have sensitivity in his lower teeth when drinking cold beverages. He had some dental coverage at the time and went for an assessment.
"They had to do the full tooth replacement and it would have been like $3,000," Bains said.
Read more from CBC Health's Amina Zafar on both insured Canadians and those who are uninsured who report cutting back on care. | | | Trending research | | | | Advances in cancer therapy require urgent changes to the oncology workforce | CMAJ | | | | | | | Glucagon-Like Peptide-1 Receptor Agonists and Risk of Neovascular Age-Related Macular Degeneration | JAMA Ophthalmology | | | | | THE BIG NUMBER | 14,566,000 | Much of the recent news about avian flu has focused on the fate of some 400 ostriches on a B.C. farm that the Canadian Food Inspection Agency has said must be culled due to the presence of avian flu.
Yet millions of birds in commercial operations and backyard flocks across Canada have already died or been killed by the CFIA because of positive tests — 14,566,000 in all, as of the end of May. British Columbia has been the hardest hit with well over eight million birds affected. The culls exist to lower the threat of having avian flu spread to other animals, including humans.
Globally, more than 633 million birds have died from infection or culling in the past 20 years, according to the World Organization for Animal Health. Late last month, the head of the World Organization for Animal Health said vaccinating poultry against highly pathogenic avian influenza could help manage the virus, Reuters reported. China, France, Guatemala, Kazakhstan and Peru all do, the WOAH said in its 2025 annual report. | | | | | Stories we found interesting this week | | | | Two patients faced chemo. The one who survived demanded a test to see if it was safe | KFF Health News | | | | | | | ‘I’m treating guys who would never be caught dead in a casino’ | The Atlantic | | | | | | |  | June 5
How do cosmetics affect my skin health?
Cosmetics are a big business. While many brands promise to beautify and rejuvenate, it's not always clear whether their makeup and creams actually benefit our skin.
Dermatologist Dr. Renee Beach explains how some cosmetics, including anti-aging creams, can improve skin health, but you shouldn't believe everything you read on the label.
Play on CBC Listen
| | | |  | June 7-8
Alberta's measles problem
Alberta is dealing with almost 800 cases of measles, the most in nearly 40 years. Dr. Mark Joffe is an infectious disease physician who recently served as Alberta's chief medical officer of health (CMOH). He says there’s a huge need to get the message out that the vaccine is safe and will protect people. Dr. James Talbot, an adjunct professor at the University of Alberta and a former CMOH for Alberta, is concerned provincial leaders aren't taking this measles outbreak urgently enough.
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