Cancer Prevention and Management through Exercise and Weight Control

“..it is increasingly clear that cancer is also a disease of inertia. In this book, a broadly multidisciplinary group presents the evidence and provides the recommendations. … The antidote to diseases of inertia is movement ― let’s move!”

John Potter, M.D.,Ph.D., from the Foreword

The American Cancer Society estimates that a third of all cancer deaths could be prevented through avoidance of obesity and the rejection of sedentary lifestyles. The World Health Organization also supports this claim. Additionally, these and other organizations now recognize the role that activity can play in improving the quality of life for cancer patients.

Cancer Prevention and Management through Exercise and Weight Control provides us with the support necessary to make a call to action. Itbrings together the contributions of world-class researchers to lay out the evidence and a plan of attack for coping with this crisis. The text begins by focusing on the research methods used in assessing the complex associations between activity, energy balance, and risk and prognosis. In comprehensive literature reviews, the authors consider the role of physical activity in the incidence of individual cancers, then explore the mechanisms that might explain this connection. They continue with a look at the relation between weight and cancer incidence, including a consideration of genetics.

Research is also provided linking physical activity and weight control to a cancer patient’s quality of life and prognosis. The work concludes with ideas on how a plan of action might be implemented at the individual, clinical, and public health levels. It also provides guidance on incorporating exercise and diet recommendations into clinical oncology practice.

Anne McTiernan, M.D., Ph.D., is a faculty member in the Division of Public Health Sciences at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle, Washington, and a research professor in the University of Washington Schools of Medicine and Public Health and Community Medicine.