Exercising can prevent bone metastasis
Metastasis is the dread of every cancer patient. It occurs when cancer cells spread through the bloodstream or the lymph fluid to other parts of the body and form a new tumour in a distant location.
One of the most common places for metastasis is the bones. About three out of four bone metastasis cases are from tumours in the prostate, breast, kidney or lung. Almost 70% of people with advanced prostate and breast cancer have metastases in the bones.¹ But these aren’t bone cancers. If the original site was in the breast, for example, it’s now referred to as metastatic breast cancer.
Bone metastases can be significantly painful and may cause bone fractures, neurological problems like paralysis, numbness or weakness, and other issues. These issues are connected with the breakdown of bone that can happen and the resulting increase in calcium. They include nausea, extreme thirst and loss of appetite.
The good news is that weight bearing exercise could be the answer to avoiding this. Researchers have recently found that after this type of exercise bone cells produce particular proteins that help to build new bone. It’s been known for some time that weight bearing exercise strengthened the bones, but now they understand the mechanism. And these proteins seem to protect against cancer cells invading the bones by effectively crowding them out.²
Their work confirms one theory that the DNA in bone cells stimulated by exercise is better at repairing itself.²
The researchers also suggested that the change in the environment around bone cells that happens after exercise makes it more difficult for cancer cells to invade the bones. During metastasis, cancer cells normally break down the environment around the bone in order to replace it with their own. Exercise significantly enriches the environment, making it more difficult for the cancer cells to do this.²
Previous research has already found that exercise protects us against cancer occurring, helps prevent its growth and helps prevent recurrences of it. If you need a further incentive to get moving, this should help to galvanise you into action.
Weight bearing exercise can be something as simple as walking. So you don’t have to sign up at the gym unless you enjoy it.
The secret is to find something that you enjoy doing, so that you will make it part of your regular routine. I cover all the benefits of exercise in my book , with plenty of ideas on various forms of exercise.
References
1. Stuart A. Common Cancers That Metastasize to the Bones. WebMD. https://www.webmd.com/cancer/common-cancers-that-metastasize-to-the-bones. Published 2019. Accessed October 1, 2021.
2. Santos L, Ugun-Klusek A, Coveney C, Boocock D. Multiomic analysis of stretched osteocytes reveals processes and signalling linked to bone regeneration and cancer. NPJ Regen Med. 2021;6:32. doi:10.1038/s41536-021-00141-3
