Surgery, radiation, and chemotherapy are some of the numerous cancer treatments but is there a way to increase a sufferer’s chances of survival through less complicated, state-of-the-art methods? With more than 100 types, all cancers appear and function around a basic framework. Cancer is the multiplication and division of damaged cells without a signal telling them to do so, forming a lump of tissue known as a tumor. These lumps can be either cancerous/malignant or benign. Malignant tumors are tumors that spread and invade other tissues in the body. Benign tumors are tumors that do not spread and do not grow back after being removed but might still cause damage. Cancer is caused by changes in the DNA to genes that control cell replication and function due to either environmental or genetic factors (National Cancer Institute, 2021). Factors that increase the risk of cancer or that cause it are known as carcinogens. Examples of some of the most common are: tobacco, radon, asbestos, formaldehyde, ultraviolet rays, alcohol, processed meat, engine exhaust, and pollution (Booth S, 2020). This essay will analyze how physical activity lowers the chances of tumor development, ameliorates adverse psychological effects from the disease, and improves the effectiveness of treatment and recovery time. 

How does exercise decrease the risk of cancer development? Before looking at conclusions of research studies, we must first focus on the actual changes in the metabolism emerging from exercise. Exercise improves immune system function, allowing it to identify abnormal cells and tissues and removing them before they cause damage, as well as decrease obesity. Obesity is a risk factor for 13 types of cancer, including liver and pancreatic cancer. A person with a Body Mass Index (BMI)>30 is likely a sufferer from inflammation, higher insulin levels, and sex hormones. Also, the more cells a person has, the higher the probability of developing damaged cells that multiply. Furthermore, taking breast and colon cancer as examples, decreasing sex hormones, growth factors, and insulin have prevented tumor occurrence and growth. In the case of colon cancer, its risk is decreased by exercise changing the chemical reaction of bile acids and increasing the speed of food traveling through the alimentary canal, therefore reducing intestinal tract exposure to carcinogens. Studies on rodents have shown that physical activity helps decrease the development and growth of the tumor by affecting intrinsic and systemic factors, as well as improving the effectiveness of treatment and decreasing adverse effects (Hojman et al., 2018). An example of an improved lifestyle due to exercise lowering the risk of cancer would be the lowered threat of breast cancer in women who do at least 3-5 hours of high-intensity activity per week and a decrease in breast cancer risk in postmenopausal individuals. In other studies, patients who exercised benefited from a 24% drop in colorectal cancer risk, and a difference of 19% risk was seen in people who had done more exercise than those who had done less (Wang & Zhou, 2021). Furthermore, in a study of 12 cohorts amounting to a total of 1.65 million people, 1.44 million of which logged their physical exercise entirely and had no previous cancer occurrences, 186,932 cancer cases were found after a follow-up of a median of 11 years. An increased level of exercise was found to lower the risk of 13 of the 26 types of cancers analyzed. A medium decrease in risk was found in 8 cancers: myeloma, colon cancer, head and neck cancer, rectal cancer, bladder cancer, gallbladder cancer and breast cancer. A bolder lowering of the threat was found in 7 of the cancers: esophageal adenocarcinoma, liver cancers, kidney cancer, lung cancer, gastric cardia, endometrium, and myeloid leukemia (Moore et al., 2016). However, as any type of medicine, physical activity will not benefit sufferers of all cancer types and none in the same measure. Each cancer is unique, and the efficiency of its treatment will be influenced by its type, mutations as well as the other treatments that the patient is currently undergoing (Courney, 2023). 

During cancer treatment, patients usually experience anxiety and depression and even encounter difficulty focusing on specific tasks (American Cancer Society, n.d). How could exercise help ameliorate these psychological side effects and make patients feel better? In the case of anxiety, studies have shown that the endorphin level is increased during exercise. More specifically, in gradually increasing intensity anaerobic exercise (weight lifting, high-intensity interval training, pilates, and circuit training), the endorphin level is increased depending on the lactate concentration built up in the tissue. In the case of endurance training, the intensity remains the same, leading to lactate not being allowed to build up. This leads to it being eliminated at the same rate as it is produced, so endorphin levels only increase after the 1-hour threshold, after which the levels will be boosted exponentially (Schwartz & Kindermann, 2012). Endorphins regulate stress levels and help improve one's mood, so there is all the more reason for patients suffering from this adverse psychological effect of cancer to exercise. Secondly, exercise also helps improve the mental state of depressed individuals. This has been proven through a study of 82 adult participants that completed a twelve-week aerobic exercise program using bicycle ergometry. Aside from increased physical fitness, there was also an essential psychological improvement. A year later, the participants were again tested with the questionnaires they completed before the program to measure their mental fitness, namely the Beck Depression Inventory, the Profile of Mood States, the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory, and the Tennessee Self-Concept Scale. There was still a significant positive difference from their initial level before doing the fitness program (DiLorenzo, 1999). Thirdly, in the case of attention and cognitive capabilities, exercise has been shown to improve memory capabilities and boost concentration, both of which are possible adverse effects of cancer and cancer treatment. The hippocampus is part of the brain in charge of memorizing and learning new things. A study investigating hippocampal volume in young and middle-aged adults shows how it increases in response to aerobic exercise. This increase was noticed after the participants followed a six-week exercise program. However, the hippocampus volume decreased to baseline after a six-week absence of aerobic exercise (Thomas, Dennis, Rawlings, et al., 2016). The effects of exercise on cognitive abilities were researched by a study of two hundred and twenty-one participants between the ages of seven and nine. Results showed that attendance to the researchers' nine-month after-school physical activity program was directly correlated to the children's ability to tune out irrelevant stimuli (inhibition) and to be attentive (Hillman et al., 2014).

Lastly, one still must discuss the benefits of exercise regarding improvements in the effectiveness of cancer treatment and its effects on patients’ recovery time. First, how does exercise boost the benefits of different cancer treatments? In the case of chemotherapy, physical activity helps boost the rate at which the blood vessel structure inside the tumor and the vascularization surrounding it matures, increasing the potential volume of drugs that can be delivered to it to destroy it. However, more blood flow and larger vessels also mean that the tumor would be supplied with more nutrients and oxygen, thus making them stronger and giving them more energy to grow. To make this type of treatment benefit the patient, doctors must find a way to compensate for the increased nutrient supply with chemotherapy drugs. This same idea of exercise increasing vascularization would help the body’s immune system to attack cancerous cells and defend itself better as more cells can access the problematic area and boost the benefit of immunotherapy for the same reasons. In a study of mice with cancer, subjects have been seen to respond better to low-dose chemotherapy treatment when coupled with an exercise routine. When results regarding vascularization changes from the murine study were compared with the changes in blood vessel structure of pancreatic cancer patients in a study researching the effects of exercise on surgical outcomes, they were found to be the same (Kruse, 2019). In the case of radiotherapy, physical activity helps decrease the side effects coming from this type of treatment, which include muscle wasting and function loss, fatigue, sleep disturbance, higher psychological distress, cognitive dysfunction, and lowered energy. Therefore, longer-lasting adverse effects that remain after the termination of the treatment will be prevented or shortened (Piraux, Caty, Nana, et al., 2020). Results from 404 people spread out into seven studies researching the effect of preoperative physical activity on patients with lung cancer or obstructive pulmonary disease have shown that the exercise reduced the occurrence of postoperative lung complications, decreased inpatient time, and overall recovery time (Nan et al., 2018).

In conclusion, an exercise regime has been shown to decrease the chances of individuals getting cancer by boosting immune function, decreasing the risk of obesity for the patient to reach a healthier, lower-risk weight, decreasing inflammation and much more. Psychological effects regarding mood disorders such as depression and anxiety are also positively impacted by exercise in general, thus aiding patients suffering from these side effects of cancer and the treatment/s used. Regarding problems with cognition often met in cancer patients, it has been proven that exercise boosts individuals’ ability to focus better and eliminate distractions subconsciously, boosting their quality of life. Also, an exercise program based on the patient’s needs combined with the required more traditional treatments will achieve the most effective results, shorten recovery time and improve patients’ happiness and well-being post-treatment. In the future, medicine might evolve to tailor exercise prescriptions through virtual technology and make it available worldwide to improve sufferers’ chances, allowing them access without high physiotherapy costs. Patients would be monitored carefully, and data regarding prevention, positive effects, side effects, and survivorship would be stored and used to find other links between exercise and biological reactions (Campbell, 2021). Overall, physical activity has tremendous psychological and physiological benefits for all individuals. However, it might be the difference between life and death when it comes to deadly illnesses such as cancer. 

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