Physical Activity and Cancer: An Introduction

Abstract

Physical activity (PA) is an important health behavior for many diseases, but its role in cancer control has been understudied and underappreciated. In this chapter, we introduce this volume on PA and cancer and provide an overview of its content and organization. We also review some of the methodological challenges in this field, summarize the key conclusions of each chapter, and offer some general directions for future research. The volume contains 16 chapters organized by the major cancer sites and the phases of the cancer control continuum. In addition to this introductory chapter, the volume includes six chapters on cancer prevention, six chapters on cancer survivorship, and three chapters on special topics. Overall, the research to date suggests that PA reduces the risk of developing some cancers, helps cancer survivors cope with and recover from treatments, improves the long-term health of cancer survivors, and possibly even reduces the risk of recurrence and extends survival in some cancer survivor groups. Much research remains to be done in this field, but the compelling data produced thus far suggests that PA has an important role to play in cancer prevention and survivorship.

Physical activity (PA) is an important health behavior for the prevention and management of many acute and chronic diseases; however, research in cancer has lagged behind other major chronic diseases. Nevertheless, the compelling data produced in this field over the past 2 decades has resulted in PA receiving a prominent place in many cancer control and exercise science guidelines including the American Cancer Society’s guidelines for cancer prevention (Kushi et al. 2006) and survivorship (Doyle et al. 2006), the World Cancer Research Fund/American Institute for Cancer Research guidelines for cancer prevention (WCRF 2007), the Australian Association of Exercise and Sport Science’s exercise guidelines for cancer survivors (Hayes et al. 2009), and the American College of Sports Medicine’s exercise guidelines for cancer survivors (Schmitz et al. 2010). The purpose of this volume is to bring together some of the world’s leading researchers to provide comprehensive and authoritative reviews on key topics related to PA and cancer. In this chapter, we introduce the topic of PA and cancer, provide an overview of the content and organization of this volume, review some of the methodological challenges in this field, summarize the key conclusions of each chapter, and offer some directions for future research.