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Exercise and immunometabolic regulation in cancer

Nature Metabolism volume 2, pages 849–857 (2020)Cite this article

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Abstract

Unhealthful lifestyle factors, such as obesity, disrupt organismal homeostasis and accelerate cancer pathogenesis, partly through metabolic and immunological dysregulation. Exercise is a prototypical strategy that maintains and restores homeostasis at the organismal, tissue, cellular and molecular levels and can prevent or inhibit numerous disease conditions, including cancer. Here, we review unhealthful lifestyle factors that contribute to metabolic and immunological dysregulation and drive tumourigenesis, focusing on patient physiology (host)–tissue–tumour microenvironment interactions. We also discuss how exercise may influence distant tissue microenvironments, thereby improving tissue function through both metabolic and immunospecific pathways. Finally, we consider future directions that merit consideration in basic and clinical translational exercise studies.

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Fig. 1: Exercise-induced protection against tissue-specific perturbations in organs involved in cancer regulation or prone to malignancy.
Fig. 2: Exercise-induced regulation of immunological and metabolic function in the TME.

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Acknowledgements

G.J.K. is supported by the Louis and Rachel Rudin Foundation. X.Z. and T.T. are supported in part by Josie Robertson, Rita Allen and V Foundation Scholarships, and the Stanley and Fiona Druckenmiller Center for Lung Cancer Research at MSK. A.S. is supported in part by funding from the National Cancer Institute (DP2 CA225212, U54 CA209975), the Josie Robertson Foundation and the Cancer Research Institute. L.W.J. is supported in part by funding from the National Cancer Institute and AKTIV Against Cancer. This work was supported by the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center Support Grant/Core Grant (P30 CA008748).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY, USA

    Graeme J. Koelwyn & Lee W. Jones

  2. Cancer Biology and Genetics Program, Sloan Kettering Institute, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY, USA

    Xueqian Zhuang & Tuomas Tammela

  3. Cell and Developmental Biology, Weill-Cornell Medical College, New York, NY, USA

    Tuomas Tammela

  4. Immunology Program, Sloan Kettering Institute, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY, USA

    Andrea Schietinger

  5. Immunology and Microbial Pathogenesis Program, Weill Cornell Medical College, New York, NY, USA

    Andrea Schietinger

  6. Weill Cornell Medical College, New York, NY, USA

    Lee W. Jones

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G.J.K. and L.W.J. researched data for the article, made substantial contributions to the discussion of content and wrote the manuscript. X.Z., T.T. and A.S. reviewed and edited the manuscript before submission.

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L.W.J. owns stock in Pacylex, Inc. G.J.K., X.Z., T.T. and A.S. declare no competing interests.

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Koelwyn, G.J., Zhuang, X., Tammela, T. et al. Exercise and immunometabolic regulation in cancer. Nat Metab 2, 849–857 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1038/s42255-020-00277-4

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