Exercise to help prevent cancer returning in high-risk early-stage patients

Exercise as Interception Therapy in Primary High Risk Cancer

NIH-funded research Beckman Research Institute/city of Hope · NIH-11400123

This work asks if a tailored exercise program can help stop cancer from coming back in people treated for high-risk early-stage breast, prostate, or colorectal cancer.

Quick facts

Grant typeR01 grant
Study typeNIH-funded research
Funding institutionBeckman Research Institute/city of Hope NIH-funded
Lab location1 site (Duarte, United States)
Project IDNIH-11400123 on NIH RePORTER

What this research studies

You would be offered a supervised exercise program designed for people who finished initial treatment for high-risk early-stage cancer. The team pairs workout plans with regular clinic visits and blood tests to look for changes in hormones, growth factors, and immune markers linked to cancer control. The approach builds on animal experiments and previous patient trials showing safety and helpful changes in blood markers. The goal is to see if routine exercise can keep minimal residual disease under control and reduce the chance of relapse.

Who could benefit from this research

Good fit: Ideal participants are people who have completed curative treatment for high-risk early-stage breast, prostate, or colorectal cancer (for example stage 3 or node-positive) and who can safely take part in an exercise program.

Not a fit: People with already metastatic disease or those who cannot safely exercise because of other serious medical problems are unlikely to benefit from this approach.

Why it matters

Potential benefit: If successful, this could lower the chance of cancer returning and improve survival and quality of life for people with high-risk early-stage cancers.

How similar studies have performed: Observational studies and animal experiments suggest exercise reduces relapse risk and prior clinical trials show exercise is safe and changes blood markers, but definitive proof that it prevents recurrence is still limited.

Where this research is happening

Duarte, United States

Researchers

About this research

  1. This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
  2. Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
  3. For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page below.
Conditions Breast CancerBreast Cancer ModelCancer Patient
Last reviewed 2026-06-13 by the Find a Trial editorial team. Information on this page is for educational purposes and is not medical advice. Always consult qualified healthcare professionals about clinical trial participation.