Diagnosed with colon cancer in December 2015, Cherri Bullard is preparing to run her third marathon.
More than a personal accomplishment, she largely credits a structured exercise routine to her long-term survival.
“I think it just makes you realise you’ve got to keep exercising. Keep your body strong. Keep yourself out of hospital,” Bullard said.
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Bullard was one of almost 900 stage 2 or 3 colon cancer patients across Australia and Canada to participate in a landmark study analysing the impact of a structured exercise routine on rates of disease-free survival, coupled with traditional treatment.
Results from the 17-year study by the University of Sydney and Canadian Cancer Trials Group found patients who undertook a three-year structured exercise program had a 37 per cent lower risk of death, compared to those with no exercise program.
After three years, there was an 80 per cent disease-free survival rate for those in the program, which rose to 90 per cent after eight years.
Colon cancer patients without a structured exercise routine had an 83 per cent survival rate after eight years.
”It’s been nearly 10 years now, which is pretty good,” Bullard said.
“A lot of people don’t last that long but I think if you exercise and you’re surrounded by good support, you can get better and you can last longer.”
Around 15,500 cases of colon cancer were diagnosed in Australia last year.
While cases are declining in older people, it’s becoming more common in people aged 50 or younger.
University of Sydney professor Janette Vardy said the study results were “phenomenal”.
“This is really quite conclusive information that exercise saves lives in colon cancer patients,” she said.
“We know that just telling people to exercise is not enough.
“We now need to implement those structured exercise programs so that every patient coming through our system [is] given an exercise prescription by a qualified exercise specialist.”
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