, June 1 -- A groundbreaking international study has found that a structured, long-term exercise program significantly improves survival rates and reduces cancer recurrence in colon cancer patients.

Spanning three years and five countries - Canada, Australia, the UK, Israel, and the US - the randomized controlled trial is the first of its kind to demonstrate a direct link between exercise and improved outcomes for colon cancer survivors. The results were presented Sunday at the American Society of Clinical Oncology's (ASCO) annual meeting in Chicago and published in the New England Journal of Medicine.

The study tracked 889 colon cancer patients who had completed chemotherapy. Half received educational materials about nutrition and phys...