Smokers may lower lung cancer risk with exercise

Cancer No. 1 killer in kids

NEW YORK, Oct 20, (Agencies): Men who are current or former smokers may be less likely to develop or die from lung cancer when they’re more physically fit, a recent study suggests.

Researchers gave treadmill tests to 2,979 men – 1,602 who were former smokers and 1,377 who were current smokers – to assess their “cardio-respiratory” fitness, or how easily the circulatory and respiratory systems can supply oxygen to muscles during physical exertion. They assessed exercise capacity using a standard measurement known as metabolic equivalents (METs) which reflects how much oxygen is consumed during physical activity.

Researchers followed the men for an average of 11.6 years; during this period, 99 participants were diagnosed with lung cancer and 79 of these people died from cancer.

Among former smokers, each 1-MET increase during treadmill tests was associated with a 13% lower risk of developing lung cancer. Moderate to high levels of cardio-respiratory fitness were associated with a 51% to 77% lower risk of developing lung malignancies, the study found.

And among current smokers who were later diagnosed with lung cancer, each 1-met increase during treadmill tests was associated with an 18% lower risk of dying from cancer. Moderate to high levels of cardio-respiratory fitness were linked to an 84% to 85% lower risk of dying from cancer.

Fitness

“Both former and current smokers can significantly reduce their risk of developing and dying from lung cancer by achieving higher cardio-respiratory fitness,” said lead study author Baruch Vainshelboim of the Veterans Affairs Palo Alto Health Care System and Stanford University in Palo Alto, California.

“Aerobic exercise at moderate to vigorous intensity such walking, jogging, running, biking, or elliptical for 20 to 30 minutes three to five times a week can improve cardio-respiratory fitness,” Vainshelboim said by email.

Lung cancer remains the most common cancer worldwide, with more than 2 million new cases and 1.8 million deaths a year, researchers note in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine. Tobacco is the single most important risk factor for developing and dying from lung cancer, accounting for up to 90% of diagnoses and more than 80% of deaths, researchers note.

Eliminating low cardio-respiratory fitness as a risk factor could prevent about 11% of lung cancer diagnoses in former smokers and roughly 22% of cancer deaths in current smokers who develop lung cancer, the study authors estimated.

While the study can’t prove whether or how improving aerobic fitness might directly reduce the odds of developing or dying from lung cancer, the results still point to one modifiable risk factor that current and former smokers might be able to control to reduce their risk, researchers conclude.

It’s possible that being more fit helps limit exposure to toxins from cigarettes in the lungs, said Trude Eid Robsahm, a researcher at the Cancer Registry of Norway, Institute of Population-based Cancer Research, who wasn’t involved in the study.

“In addition, physical activity improves activity in immune cells and produces a cancer-inhibiting environment in the tissue,” Robsahm said by email.

Getting recommended levels of exercise will help, said Dr Sudhir Kurl, a researcher at the Institute of Public Health and Clinical Nutrition, University of Eastern Finland in Kuopio.

“The consensus public health guideline to perform 150 minutes per week of moderate-intensity physical activity such as brisk walking, jogging will move most of individuals out of the low-fitness category,” Karl, who wasn’t involved in the study, said by email. “It also may help smokers to quit smoking.”

Childhood cancer: The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and St Jude Children’s Research Hospital announced Friday joining forces to combat childhood cancers in developing countries, where children are four times more likely to die of the disease than in high-income countries due to a lack of affordable treatment and quality care options.

Under a new agreement signed today, the IAEA and the US research hospital will work together to raise awareness of childhood cancers, mobilize resources to support Member States in the establishment of nuclear and radiation medicine services, increase training for professionals in the field of radiotherapy, and support research in paediatric radiation oncology and related areas, posted the IAEA on its official website.

With at least 300,000 new cases each year, paediatric cancer is a leading cause of death globally among children and adolescents according to the World Health Organization (WHO). In high-income countries, more than 80 percent of children with such cancers are cured, but this figure is only 20 percent in many low- and middle-income countries. The disparity is mostly the result of late or inaccurate diagnosis, prohibitive treatment costs and insufficiently equipped facilities and trained medical personnel.

“St Jude is a long-standing IAEA partner, and this agreement brings the Agency’s relationship with this renowned paediatric treatment and research institute to a new level,” said IAEA Acting Director General Cornel Feruta. “Together, we will work to increase support to developing countries in scaling up high-quality cancer services for children.”

Common childhood cancers include leukaemia, brain cancers, lymphomas and solid tumours, such as neuroblastoma and Wilms tumour. Children often require longer and more intense treatment than adults, along with specialized care to ease the burden of treatment. Radiotherapy is often needed to treat paediatric cancers but advances in technology and molecular biology require continuous training for health professionals to make the most of this treatment option.