24/04/2026
April is Bowel Cancer Awareness Month. This year the focus is on raising awareness of symptoms, promoting early detection via screening, and funding research to improve survival rates. For more info see here : https://www.bowelcanceruk.org.uk/support-us/bowel-cancer-awareness-month/
and
https://gmcancer.org.uk/communication/17895/
During these awareness months we like to also raise awareness on how exercise and physical activity can be beneficial to anyone who has been diagnosed with the specific cancer type.
Here are just a few examples of the positive effect exercise can have on bowel cancer specific side effects:
-Improves strength around core muscles which can include abdominal muscles, prior to and after surgery safely, which can help to help prevent complications
-Helps to Improve range of movement around abdominal area which can help manage pain
-Management of cancer-related fatigue,which is a common debilitating symptom from surgery/other treatments
-Improve confidence, and mental wellbeing
-Research shows how exercise can also improve clinical outcomes long term:
In June last year, we shared information on the landmark CO21 CHALLENGE trial, which showed how specifically colon cancer patients, who are supported to do regular exercise, are more likely to survive the disease: Half the participants followed in the study over a 3 year period, who had finished surgery and chemotherapy for stage 2 or stage 3 colorectal cancer, were given a 3-year structured exercise program (aiming for ~2.5 hours of moderate-intensity activity per week) supported by regular consultation with a trainer, rather than just the advice the other half of the participants received. It was found that those who took part in the structured exercise group,had a 28% lower risk of cancer recurrence, new primary cancers, and death compared to just advice/ standard health education. See here for more info on this trial and other main findings:https://www.wcrf.org/about-us/news-and-blogs/new-study-shows-benefits-of-physical-activity-for-colon-cancer-survivors/ Published in the New England Journal of Medicine in 2025, this high quality study is said to mark a critical shift in helping to move exercise as a 'nice to have' part of cancer care to a 'need to have'. πͺπ»ππ»π