Compounds in Active Muscles May Help Slow Lung Cancer Growth

Lung cancer is one of the most common cancers in the U.S. and accounts for roughly 25% of all cancer deaths. Patrick Ryan, MS, from Texas A&M University, and his research team found that treating cultured lung cancer cells with blood collected from contracting muscles—muscles that were exercised—did not grow as much as untreated cells. “Muscles release signaling molecules when they contract, and these molecules can influence how other cells behave,” Ryan explained. “This is exciting both because it demonstrates a novel way that physical exercise helps keep us healthy and also will help us identify new cancer-fighting compounds,” he added.

The research will be presented virtually at the American Physiological Society (APS) Integrative Physiology of Exercise (IPE) conference. Request the Abstract: “Exercise is Chemotherapy: Exercise-Derived Myokines Suppress Lung Cancer Cell Growth”