Cancer, Exercise, and Immunity

The topic of cancer, exercise, and immunity is a growing field of research that brings together 3 disciplines: cancer prevention and therapy, exercise science, and tumor immunology. There is great potential benefit in better understanding the effects of healthy lifestyle choices—such as participation in regular physical activity (PA)—on immune function relevant to cancer prevention and therapy. PA is a low-cost, low-risk intervention that reduces the risk of several forms of cancer and provides many other health benefits. Regular PA also enhances a variety of immunological processes. Ongoing work in the field includes examining if exercise-induced changes in immune function contribute to the cancer prevention effects of exercise.