Suppressing breast cancer by exercise: consideration to animal models and exercise protocols

Purpose: Exercise is thought to have a significant effect on chemotherapy, and previous studies have reported that exercise can increase patient survival. Thus, in this review, we aimed to summarize various animal models to analyze the effects of exercise on breast cancer.

Methods: We summarized types of breast cancer animal models from various reports and analyzed the effects of exercise on anti-cancer factors in breast cancer animal models.

Results: This review aimed to systematically investigate if exercise could aid in suppressing breast cancer. Our study includes (a) increase in survival rate through exercise; (b) the intensity of exercise should be consistent and increased; (c) a mechanism for inhibiting carcinogenesis through exercise; (d) effects of exercise on anti-cancer function.

Conclusion: This review suggested the necessity of a variety of animal models for preclinical studies prior to breast cancer clinical trials. It also provides evidence to support the view that exercise plays an important role in the prevention or treatment of breast cancer by influencing anticancer factors.