A workout a day may keep cancer away

By Matt Sloane, CNN
Published 10:58 AM EDT, Thu May 16, 2013
Think you don't have time to exercise? Try involving the whole family. If you have a driveway, sidewalk, small playground or park, you have enough space. Click through the gallery for a sample workout with Dana Santas, her husband, Donovan, and 6-year-old son, Luke.
Think you don't have time to exercise? Try involving the whole family. If you have a driveway, sidewalk, small playground or park, you have enough space. Click through the gallery for a sample workout with Dana Santas, her husband, Donovan, and 6-year-old son, Luke.
From Heidi Joyner
Myofascial release: You can roll virtually every part of your body, but in the interest of time during family workouts, stick to the major muscles of the legs and back. Roll up and down for about 30 seconds each.
Warming up —
Myofascial release: You can roll virtually every part of your body, but in the interest of time during family workouts, stick to the major muscles of the legs and back. Roll up and down for about 30 seconds each.
From Heidi Joyner
Step forward in a lunge position and put both hands down on either side of your front foot. Reach one arm up at at time and then return to standing. Repeat on the other side, alternating for a set of eight to 12 lunges.<br />
Mobility warm-up —
Step forward in a lunge position and put both hands down on either side of your front foot. Reach one arm up at at time and then return to standing. Repeat on the other side, alternating for a set of eight to 12 lunges.
From Heidi Joyner
Chalk ladder agility exercises are fun and invigorating. You can do any number of hopping, sidestepping, skipping, etc., exercises. Santas' family likes to play "Follow the Leader," with each member getting the opportunity to lead an exercise of his or her choice up and back on the ladder.
Agility drills —
Chalk ladder agility exercises are fun and invigorating. You can do any number of hopping, sidestepping, skipping, etc., exercises. Santas' family likes to play "Follow the Leader," with each member getting the opportunity to lead an exercise of his or her choice up and back on the ladder.
From Heidi Joyner
Begin in a plank position with feet hip distance apart and your wrists aligned under your shoulders. Keep your core engaged to avoid the lower back arching and your belly sagging toward the ground. Bend your elbows, lowering your body in one solid piece down until your elbows and shoulders are parallel. Your head should stay in line with your spine. Push your body back up to your starting plank position.
Pushing movement —
Begin in a plank position with feet hip distance apart and your wrists aligned under your shoulders. Keep your core engaged to avoid the lower back arching and your belly sagging toward the ground. Bend your elbows, lowering your body in one solid piece down until your elbows and shoulders are parallel. Your head should stay in line with your spine. Push your body back up to your starting plank position.
From Heidi Joyner
While standing, hold TRX handles with a neutral grip. Lean your body straight back so that your arms extend at chest height. Make a rowing motion by bending your elbows and pulling your chest toward the handles. Keep your body aligned and core strong throughout the motion. Don't bend from the waist.
Pulling movement —
While standing, hold TRX handles with a neutral grip. Lean your body straight back so that your arms extend at chest height. Make a rowing motion by bending your elbows and pulling your chest toward the handles. Keep your body aligned and core strong throughout the motion. Don't bend from the waist.
From Heidi Joyner
From standing, hold a moderate-weight kettle bell or dumbbell at your side in your left hand. Begin a single-leg hip hinge by reaching back with with your left leg and hinging forward over your right leg to let the weight come down to the ground in front of you. Slowly hip hinge and stand back up with both feet on the ground and the weight held at your side. Repeat this movement for the desired repetitions and then move to the other side.
Hinging movement —
From standing, hold a moderate-weight kettle bell or dumbbell at your side in your left hand. Begin a single-leg hip hinge by reaching back with with your left leg and hinging forward over your right leg to let the weight come down to the ground in front of you. Slowly hip hinge and stand back up with both feet on the ground and the weight held at your side. Repeat this movement for the desired repetitions and then move to the other side.
From Heidi Joyner
Stand with your feet slightly wider than hip distance. Hold a kettle bell or dumbbells close to your chest. Select a weight that is heavy enough to be challenging but light enough to enable you to maintain form throughout all of your reps. Squat down between your legs as deeply as possible without pain; ideally, your elbows should touch your legs. Keep your chest and head up with your back straight. Return to the starting position. Repeat for desired number of reps.
Squatting movement —
Stand with your feet slightly wider than hip distance. Hold a kettle bell or dumbbells close to your chest. Select a weight that is heavy enough to be challenging but light enough to enable you to maintain form throughout all of your reps. Squat down between your legs as deeply as possible without pain; ideally, your elbows should touch your legs. Keep your chest and head up with your back straight. Return to the starting position. Repeat for desired number of reps.
From Heidi Joyner
From a seated straddle, fold your right leg in toward your groins. Rotate to line your chest up with your straight left leg. Exhale as you stretch over that leg, reaching your right hand under the outside of your left calf. Inhale as you twist to the left, reaching your left arm straight back behind you. Hold for five long, deep breaths. Repeat on the other side.
Cooling down —
From a seated straddle, fold your right leg in toward your groins. Rotate to line your chest up with your straight left leg. Exhale as you stretch over that leg, reaching your right hand under the outside of your left calf. Inhale as you twist to the left, reaching your left arm straight back behind you. Hold for five long, deep breaths. Repeat on the other side.
From Heidi Joyner
What better way to close out your family workout than with a celebratory high-five?
Family high-five —
What better way to close out your family workout than with a celebratory high-five?
From Heidi Joyner
Fitness for the whole family

Story highlights

Study: Getting into shape may help ward off cancer, or improve survival rates

New drugs show promise in treating various types of cancer

Less cancer treatment may be better, researchers say

CNN  — 

Less cancer treatment may be better, and being in good physical shape may help keep cancer away, according to the latest research being presented at the largest convergence of cancer experts worldwide.

The American Society of Clinical Oncology meets at the end of the month in Chicago. A briefing was held Wednesday for journalists covering the meeting. Here are some highlights from studies being presented:

Exercise may keep cancer away

Getting into shape may help you ward off cancer – or boost your survival chances if you are diagnosed, according to a new study.

Researchers from the University of Vermont studied more than 17,000 men for close to 20 years. They found those who exercised the most were 68% less likely to develop lung cancer and 38% less likely to develop colorectal cancers than the least active men.

Among those men who did develop either of those two cancers or prostate cancer, exercise helped reduce the risk of death by 14% for each incremental increase in fitness level.

Boosting your immune system to fight cancer

Among the other six studies highlighted, two looked at new approaches in immunotherapy treatments – drugs that train the immune system to recognize and kill cancer cells.

One study found that a new antibody, known only as MPDL3280A, shrank tumors in 21% of the patients studied, all of whom were suffering from melanoma, lung or kidney cancers.

The drug was well-tolerated at all dose levels by the majority of patients, and reports of serious adverse reactions were infrequent, officials said.

Researchers presented results from the first phase of a clinical trial of MPDL3280A. The purpose of these initial trials is to establish the safety and dosage guidelines for an investigational drug. If it’s found to be safe, as in this case, it must be tested in much bigger trials with many more people. So far, the early results are promising, according to researchers.

The second study found that the combination of two immunotherapy drugs – Yervoy and Nivolumab – can help shrink melanoma tumors.

More than half of study participants saw their tumors shrink by more than half, and nearly a third saw their tumors shrink by 80%, just in the first 12 weeks of treatment, according to the study author.

Before Yervoy received Food and Drug Administration approval two years ago, patients with melanoma – the deadliest form of skin cancer – had no real treatment options. Nivolumab still needs FDA approval.

Researchers have known that at some point, cancer cells figure out how to circumvent Yervoy and tumors start to grow again, but this study suggests that a combination of these drugs can lengthen the benefit of Yervoy.

“After years of not having success in immunotherapy, we now have two (different studies) showing significant progress,” said Dr. Sandra Swain, president of the American Society of Clinical Oncology. “With these two therapies, we’re seeing very rapid, profound and long-lasting tumor shrinkage, which is something that hasn’t been seen before with immunotherapies.”

Less is more

Three additional studies presented in the Wednesday briefing examined existing therapies for various cancers and which ones were the most effective.

The first, from Washington University in St. Louis, found that a 25% stronger dose of radiation used to treat patients with one type of lung cancer were more dangerous for the patients – and less effective in treating the disease.

The study, of patients with non-small cell lung cancer who were also receiving chemotherapy, showed an increase in “local failure,” meaning cancer cells at the radiation site either weren’t killed or began growing.

“Many doctors expected that using a higher dose of radiation would mean better outcomes for patients, so this was a surprising result,” Swain said. “This study should put an end to discussions about higher dose treatments.”

A second study looked at the efficacy of post-surgery chemotherapy and radiation for patients with seminoma, a common type of testicular cancer, versus follow-up monitoring of the patients.

Researchers looked at 1,800 patients with stage 1 seminoma in Denmark, where the typical post-surgery treatment protocol calls for regular clinic visits, CT scans, X-rays and blood work – not chemo or radiation. However, many U.S. treatment centers do use chemo and radiation as part of post-surgery treatment.

More than 80% of patients did not relapse after surgery, the study found, eliminating the need for follow-up chemotherapy or radiation. In those who did relapse, follow-up treatment led to a 99.5% survival rate.

“In this study, we see that surveillance alone was safe,” said Dr. Clifford Hudis, president-elect of the American Society of Clinical Oncology.

The final study looked at whether patients with a particular form of non-Hodgkin lymphoma should have regular CT scans to detect relapses after they finish treatment. The study showed most relapses weren’t detected by the scans, but by patients’ complaints of symptoms, routine physical exams or blood work.

“We can spare patients from the cost and excessive radiation from follow-up CT scans,” Hudis said.

The final study looked at a new class of drugs called PI3K delta inhibitors, being tested in patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia.

The specific drug tested in the trial – Idelalisib – was shown in a first phase of study to be safe in high-risk populations, and to help reduce the size of affected lymph nodes for long periods of time. It may soon lead to alternatives to chemo for slow-growing blood cancers, Swain said.

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