Effect of exercise on tumor markers - Is exercise anti-tumorigenic in humans?: A scoping review of preliminary clinical investigations.
Level 5 - mechanism / opinion, no new human data
Scoping review of preliminary clinical studies without quantitative systematic meta-analysis
PubMed 35940512 · doi:10.1016/j.critrevonc.2022.103779
What was done
This scoping review synthesized the available evidence on circulating or tissue-driven tumor markers in clinical exercise oncology trials. The authors evaluated 14 identified studies that examined markers such as prostate-specific antigen for prostate cancer, carcinoembryonic antigen and circulating tumor cells for colorectal cancer, and Ki-67 for breast cancer.
What was found
No quantitative data, point estimates, or p-values were reported in the abstract. Treatment settings and exercise prescriptions were highly heterogeneous across the 14 included studies, and most studies did not find significant exercise-mediated effects on tumor markers.
Why it matters
Despite preclinical mechanistic evidence indicating exercise may suppress tumor progression, current human trial data do not consistently show measurable changes in standard tumor markers.
Limits
The abstract reports no numerical values, participant sample sizes, or formal risk of bias assessments. High heterogeneity in tumor types, clinical settings, and exercise protocols limits synthesis across studies.
Cited by
- context Engaging in physical activity reduces the risk of cancer recurrence and metastasis in individuals with circulating tumor cells.