The effects of acute exercise on immune cells in patients with cancer
Koivula, Tiia (2025-05-02)
The effects of acute exercise on immune cells in patients with cancer
(02.05.2025)
Turun yliopisto
Julkaisun pysyvä osoite on:
https://urn.fi/URN:ISBN:978-952-02-0111-1
https://urn.fi/URN:ISBN:978-952-02-0111-1
Tiivistelmä
ABSTRACT
Exercise has many systemic effects. Epidemiological studies suggest that exercise can improve the prognosis of people diagnosed with cancer, but the mechanisms are largely unknown. In animal models, exercise has been shown to slow tumor growth by enhancing the immunological response to tumors. The purpose of this thesis was to investigate the effect of acute exercise on circulating immune cell and cytokine levels in humans with newly diagnosed lymphoma or breast cancer.
The thesis included a total of 15 lymphoma patients (mean (SD) age 59 (17) years) and 39 breast cancer patients (57 (10) years), half of whom performed a 10-minute exercise and the other half a 30-minute exercise with bicycle ergometer on a resistance of their own-choosing. The patients were just diagnosed; thus they had not started any cancer treatments. All participants had blood samples taken at rest before pedaling, and for those who completed the 10-minute exercise, also immediately after exercise and 30 minutes after exercise. For those who completed the 30-minute exercise, blood samples were taken halfway through exercise, at the end of exercise, and 30 and 60 minutes after exercise. Circulating immune cell levels were analysed with flow cytometry and cytokines with a cancer-specific cytokine assay.
During exercise, the level of many immune cells, especially lymphocytes, increased in the bloodstream and returned to resting levels 30 minutes after exercise. The number of natural killer cells and CD8+ T cells increased in both patient groups, during the 10- and 30-minute exercises. The responses in immune cells were fairly similar during 10- and 30-minute exercises, but the changes in immune cells correlated positively with the intensity of exercise. Chemokine IP-10 increased during exercise in both lymphoma and breast cancer patients, and in addition eotaxin, IL-1β, IL-13, and MIP-1α increased in breast cancer patients.
Even 10 minutes of moderate intensity exercise mobilizes immune cells in cancer patients. Further research is needed to investigate where mobilized immune cells migrate after exercise as their numbers decrease in the blood, and whether exercise-induced immune cell mobilization slows tumor growth in humans, as it does in mouse models.
KEYWORDS: Acute exercise, Physical activity, Breast cancer, Lymphoma, Immune cells, White blood cells, Cytokines
Exercise has many systemic effects. Epidemiological studies suggest that exercise can improve the prognosis of people diagnosed with cancer, but the mechanisms are largely unknown. In animal models, exercise has been shown to slow tumor growth by enhancing the immunological response to tumors. The purpose of this thesis was to investigate the effect of acute exercise on circulating immune cell and cytokine levels in humans with newly diagnosed lymphoma or breast cancer.
The thesis included a total of 15 lymphoma patients (mean (SD) age 59 (17) years) and 39 breast cancer patients (57 (10) years), half of whom performed a 10-minute exercise and the other half a 30-minute exercise with bicycle ergometer on a resistance of their own-choosing. The patients were just diagnosed; thus they had not started any cancer treatments. All participants had blood samples taken at rest before pedaling, and for those who completed the 10-minute exercise, also immediately after exercise and 30 minutes after exercise. For those who completed the 30-minute exercise, blood samples were taken halfway through exercise, at the end of exercise, and 30 and 60 minutes after exercise. Circulating immune cell levels were analysed with flow cytometry and cytokines with a cancer-specific cytokine assay.
During exercise, the level of many immune cells, especially lymphocytes, increased in the bloodstream and returned to resting levels 30 minutes after exercise. The number of natural killer cells and CD8+ T cells increased in both patient groups, during the 10- and 30-minute exercises. The responses in immune cells were fairly similar during 10- and 30-minute exercises, but the changes in immune cells correlated positively with the intensity of exercise. Chemokine IP-10 increased during exercise in both lymphoma and breast cancer patients, and in addition eotaxin, IL-1β, IL-13, and MIP-1α increased in breast cancer patients.
Even 10 minutes of moderate intensity exercise mobilizes immune cells in cancer patients. Further research is needed to investigate where mobilized immune cells migrate after exercise as their numbers decrease in the blood, and whether exercise-induced immune cell mobilization slows tumor growth in humans, as it does in mouse models.
KEYWORDS: Acute exercise, Physical activity, Breast cancer, Lymphoma, Immune cells, White blood cells, Cytokines
Kokoelmat
- Väitöskirjat [2896]