Exercise found to reduce risk of womb cancer

Sitting down for long periods increases risk

Womb cancer is the fourth most common cancer in women with more than 7,500 new cases diagnosed each year in the UK. Now a comprehensive review of existing evidence has found that women who are active and exercise regularly are 30% less likely to develop the disease.

A separate study of over 70,000 women found that those who sit down for long periods of time are more at risk.

Commenting on the findings, study leader Dr Steven Moore said: "Physical activity is known to reduce risk for breast and colon cancer, and now our study has found that physical activity can reduce risk for womb cancer as well."

"We already knew that maintaining a healthy body weight is an important way to reduce the risk of womb cancer, but our study showed that physical activity has a protective effect of its own," he added.

The results are important because in the last 10 years – of the top 10 most common cancers in women – incidence rates for womb cancer have risen the second fastest, after malignant melanoma skin cancer.

Sara Hiom, Cancer Research UK’s director of health information, urged women to take the findings to heart: "This new research provides clear evidence that the more active women are – and the less time they spend sitting down – the less likely they are to develop womb cancer."

She speculated that the link between increased activity and reduced risk may be due to changed hormone levels: "This may be because exercise and activity reduces levels of the sex hormone oestrogen. Overexposure to oestrogen can increase the risk of the disease. Keeping active and doing plenty of exercise as well as spending more time on your feet will help reduce the risk of womb cancer."

Symptoms of womb cancer

Hiom provides some basic signs for women to watch out for: "All women should be aware of the symptoms of womb cancer which include abnormal vaginal bleeding – especially for post-menopausal women, abdominal pain and pain during sex."

"Although these symptoms don’t usually mean cancer, as they could be signs of other diseases like fibroids or endometriosis, it’s still vital to get them checked by a doctor. The earlier the disease is diagnosed, the more likely treatment will be successful," she concluded.

The study is published in the British Journal of Cancer and was carried out by researchers at the National Cancer Institute in Bethesda, Maryland.

The Family GP