High-intensity exercise makes it harder for circulating tumor cells to survive, spread, and form metastases.

“Vigorous exercise kills circulating tumor cells”

“In vitro studies show that exercise-equivalent levels of shear stress kill up to 90% of circulating tumor cells, including highly metastatic and drug-resistant breast cancer cells.”

“The shear force of blood flow generated during vigorous-intensity exercise kills circulating tumor cells”

“When you work out, the increased blood flow creates higher shear stress in your blood vessels, making it harder for circulating tumor cells to survive”

“Exercise—particularly high-intensity exercise—increases blood flow and shear stress in blood vessels. This mechanical force makes it harder for circulating tumor cells to survive, spread, and form metastases.”

“In vitro evidence supports the mechanism of shear stress-induced elimination of tumor cells (https://t.co/uEkwz8M2zZ)”

“So there's evidence that exercise, in general exercise, is involved in basically anything that gets your blood flow up. Basically those cancer cells die because they're so like disrupted and sensitive to the mechanical forces, whereas normal cells are fine.”

“those circulating tumor cells are in circulation for a period of time and these circulating tumor cells are very sensitive to the shearing forces of blood flow so when you exercise and blood flow increases those circulating tumor cells they actually they actually die and um this happens”

“if you exercise while the tumors are shedding these um circulating tumor cells those uh circulating tumor cells are less likely to survive because of the increased sheer stress so when blood's flowing through uh uh the vascul it's under a certain amount of pressure but of course that's dramatically increased when you exercise and these circulating tumor cells are far more likely to die and not survive that Journey if you're exercising”

“the shearing forces are really important here because they do kill the circulating tumor cells that is associated with improved outcomes either in cancer recurrence and mortality and that is reflective in what this study here is showing um that vigorous intensity physical activity is associated with a lower uh cancer mortality.”

“So, um, unfortunately, they also kill normal cells as well because it's a very strong death signal. Um, when it comes to these circulating tumor cells, they're ready to die. And I know I went on a tangent. I'm sorry. I studied cancer cancer in my in graduate school. Um, they're they have these mechano sensors on their cell surface and and so they're very sensitive to mechanical forces and movement and that is something that can act as a death signal. So if you think about the shearing forces, right, shearing forces of blood flow, that is a friction against these cancer cells that again are responding in a way that it's it's a negative stress to them and they die.”

“It's like exercise directly kills it kills the circulating tumor cells, which I think is um interesting.”