Our research impact

Combining exercise, nutrition and medication helps stabilise weight in advanced cancer

Prof Tora Skeidsvoll Solheim, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Norway

The intervention in the MENAC trial aimed to establish a practical rehabilitation programme that would provide the first evidence-based method to help reverse cachexia that affects patients with advanced cancer.

The study found that a multimodal intervention including exercise, nutrition, and anti-inflammatory medication stabilised weight compared to standard care at six weeks, was safe, and did not result in any patient discontinuations due to intolerable toxicity or adverse events.

This study represents an important and timely contribution to a highly challenging area of cancer research, addressing cancer cachexia, a complex and multifactorial condition that significantly influences patient outcomes, treatment tolerance, and quality of life. By demonstrating that a safe and feasible multimodal intervention can stabilise weight, this work helps to elucidate practical strategies for tackling cachexia, a condition for which effective interventions have remained limited. The findings provide critical evidence to support integrated approaches aimed at improving outcomes for cancer patients.

This project was funded by Werald Kanker Onderzoef Fonds as part of World Cancer Research Fund International. Find out more about this project.

Hot foods, alcohol, tobacco and oral health: key drivers of oesophageal cancer in East Africa​

Dr Valerie McCormack, IARC, France  

Dr Valerie McCormack, together with a research team based in Malawi and Tanzania, received a grant to investigate which lifestyle habits and environmental factors may contribute to the elevated rates of oesophageal cancer in East Africa.

The study was part of the larger Oesophageal Squamous Cell Carcinoma African Prevention Research study, where the research team collected genetic, social, economic, and lifestyle data. To carry out this research they interviewed 1,200 patients recently diagnosed with oesophageal cancer and an equal number of healthy individuals from Kenya, Malawi and Tanzania to compare risk factors.

Alcohol, consuming very hot food and beverages, poor oral health, tobacco (smoking and smokeless), and geophagia were found to be risk factors for oesophageal cancer in East Africa.

The findings from this study enhance the existing body of evidence and inform crucial actions for prevention. Additionally, the findings were taken up by the WHO AFRO office as well as by national cancer control plans.

This project was funded by Werald Kanker Onderzoef Fonds as part of World Cancer Research Fund International. Find out more about this project.

Breast cancer and exercise: Preventing functional disability and cardiotoxicity​

Prof Andre La Gerche, Baker Heart and Diabetes Institute, Australia

Prof La Gerche conducted a randomised controlled trial, building on the findings from his earlier small-scale research. This study aimed to determine whether a structured exercise program reduces the proportion of patients classified as functionally disabled (measured with a VO₂ peak) 12 months after chemotherapy initiation. The second aim of the study was to compare the current standard of care measure (resting left ventricular ejection fraction) with measures of cardiac reserve (peak exercise cardiac output) as predictors of functional disability.

This was the first randomised ​clinical trial to demonstrate that ​exercise training can preserve heart function during chemotherapy and to showed that VO₂ peak offers additional diagnostic and prognostic value beyond standard-of-care measures.​

This project was funded by Werald Kanker Onderzoef Fonds as part of World Cancer Research Fund International. Find out more about this project.

Preventing cardiorespiratory decline during allogeneic stem cell transplantation through individualised exercise

Dr Erin Howden, Baker Heart and Diabetes Institute, Australia

Dr Howden conducted a randomised controlled trial to study how an individualised, multi-component physical activity intervention compared to a usual care control group in people scheduled for allogeneic stem cell transplantation. The exercise intervention aimed to preserve cardio-metabolic function and improve the quality of life in patients undergoing transplantation.

The exercise intervention prevented the declines in VO₂peak in the intervention group but not in the controls, resulting in a ~12% difference at the final follow-up visit. The intervention also maintained exercise cardiac function, which decreased by 8% in the usual care group.

This study is the first randomised controlled trial to address both exercise and sedentary behaviour for cardiovascular risk reduction in patients undergoing allogeneic stem cell transplantation.

This project was funded by Werald Kanker Onderzoef Fonds as part of World Cancer Research Fund International. Find out more about this project.

Early-life body size as determinants of breast cancer risk

Dr Jennifer Baker, Frederiksberg Hospital, Denmark 

Dr Jennifer Baker and her team explored how childhood growth and body size throughout a woman’s life impact the risk of breast cancer. The study analysed health records of 158,431 girls born in Copenhagen between 1930 and 1992.

The findings consistently showed that a higher childhood BMI was linked with a lower risk of benign breast disease in both pre-and post-menopausal breast cancer. The results underscore the importance of considering body size and pubertal timing in early life when studying the effects of body size on breast cancer development.

This project advanced our understanding of the role of early-life body size in relation to breast cancer, helping to unravel the complexities of these associations using some of the most well-suited data available globally.

This project was funded by World Cancer Research Fund as part of World Cancer Research Fund International. Find out more about this project. 

Being physically active could reduce prostate cancer risk by 50%

Prof Sarah Lewis, University of Bristol, UK

The study findings were press released by our PR team and University of Bristol. It received wide national and international media coverage (over 95 articles) and Prof Lewis was interviewed on BBC Radio Suffolk to promote the findings to the public. The study advanced scientific knowledge on the key risk factors of prostate cancer and provided important public messaging for prostate cancer risk reduction. In addition, findings from this study initiated international collaborations and research in breast and colorectal cancer, similarly showing that being physically active protects against cancer.

Prof Sarah Lewis, lead author of the research, said:

This study is the largest ever of its kind which uses a relatively new method that complements current observational research to discover what causes prostate cancer. It suggests that there could be a larger effect of physical activity on prostate cancer than previously thought, so will hopefully encourage men to be more active.

This project was funded by World Cancer Research Fund as part of World Cancer Research Fund International. Find out more about this project. 

30 years of evidence: How the UK Women’s Cohort Study is shaping cancer prevention

Prof Janet Cade, University of Leeds, UK

Celebrating its 30th anniversary, the UK Women’s Cohort Study (UKWCS) stands as a rare and powerful example of long-term research transforming cancer prevention.

Initially funded by World Cancer Research Fund and led by Professor Janet Cade at the University of Leeds, the study has followed over 35,000 middle-aged women for three decades providing uniquely rich insights into how diet influences cancer, cardiovascular disease, and long-term health.

By capturing a wide range of eating patterns and regularly tracking participants over time, the UKWCS has generated landmark findings. These include evidence that higher fibre intake is linked to lower stroke risk, while greater consumption of red and processed meat increases breast cancer risk. Research has also shown that dietary patterns matter: vegetarians and fish-eaters may have some protection against post-menopausal breast cancer compared with meat-eaters.

Beyond individual nutrients, the study reveals how diet intersects with wider lifestyle and social factors such as smoking status, education, and supplement use, helping to identify population trends and target effective health messages.

The UKWCS is more than a dataset; it is a living legacy. Its findings have been cited in at least nine government policy documents, directly informing public health guidance and improving lives at scale. As researchers reflected at the 30th anniversary celebration, the study continues to honour its participants by turning decades of data into actionable knowledge helping people live longer, healthier lives and strengthening the evidence base for cancer prevention.

This project was funded by World Cancer Research Fund as part of World Cancer Research Fund International. Find out more about the project.