Exercise can not only keep you healthy, but also boost the odds of recovering from cancer by making chemotherapy more effective, a new study.
Researchers from University of Pennsylvania scientists are reporting experiments involving mice show that combining exercise with common cancer drug doxorubicin shrinks tumors more than use of the drug alone.
Joseph Libonati, an associate professor in the School of Nursing who led the study published in the American Journal of Physiology, said the findings suggest physical activity not only blunts the negative effects of the drug — which can cause negative cardiac-related side effects — but also boosts its effectiveness.
The Penn team believes exercise may increase blood flow to the tumor, bringing with it more of the drug in the bloodstream.
“If exercise helps in this way, you could potentially use a smaller dose of the drug and get fewer side effects,” Libonati said, calling the tumor-shrinking effects of the combo “amazing.”
The research was supported by the National Cancer Institute.
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