There are close to one million lymphoma survivors in the United States, and this number is increasing
Most want to know how they can prevent cancer recurrence or progression
A new study shows that physical activity can improve a patient's survival
Researchers looked at physical activity data from over 1,350 lymphoma patients before and 3 years after diagnosis and found that those who increased their level of physical activity lived longer
Higher levels of physical activity and increasing physical activity after diagnosis significantly improved overall survival, lymphoma-specific survival and event-free survival
Those meeting American Cancer Society recommendations of at least 150 minutes per week of moderate exercise or 75 minutes per week of vigorous exercise had the best outcomes
The researchers also found a linear association between increasing physical activity and survival
suggesting that any increase in activity -- even mild intensity activity such as walking -- can decrease the risk of death from all-causes, including lymphoma
This held true regardless of age, sex, treatment course, body mass index, or cancer stage
The findings indicate that patients can help control their outcomes by maintaining and increasing their activity levels
Pophali PA, et al. The Association of Physical Activity Before and After Lymphoma Diagnosis with Survival Outcomes. (2018) American Journal of Hematology