Lifestyle Medicine Across the Cancer Continuum: From Treatment to Survivorship and Beyond

Presentation Summary: Lifestyle medicine plays a vital role across the entire cancer continuum—from diagnosis and active treatment through survivorship and advanced disease—and requires a team-based, interdisciplinary approach to be effectively delivered. As cancer care evolves, lifestyle interventions are increasingly recognized for their ability to support physical function, emotional well-being, treatment resilience, and long-term health outcomes.

With more than 18 million cancer survivors in the United States—projected to reach 26 million by 2040—there is growing need to optimize survivorship care, which is associated with improved quality of life, reduced symptom burden, better management of chronic conditions and treatment side effects, and enhanced emotional health. Evidence also supports the integration of lifestyle medicine earlier in the continuum, including prehabilitation prior to surgery or systemic therapy and structured interventions during active treatment. Multidisciplinary delivery models involving clinicians, dietitians, exercise professionals, psychologists, and health coaches have demonstrated benefits in functional capacity, fatigue reduction, preservation of lean mass, and improved quality of life. Exercise oncology research, including large trials such as CHALLENGE, further suggests potential long-term survival benefits associated with physical activity.

This session will explore the evidence base aligned with the six pillars of lifestyle medicine—nutrition, physical activity, sleep, stress management, social connection, and avoidance of risky substances—as they apply to cancer survivorship and advanced disease. Panelists will highlight how lifestyle medicine can improve treatment tolerance, reduce symptom burden, and enhance quality of life across the cancer continuum.

Despite strong evidence, implementation challenges persist, including time constraints, reimbursement limitations, workforce training gaps, symptom burden, and inequities in access. These challenges are especially relevant in advanced or metastatic disease, where care must be individualized and focused on symptom relief, function, and quality of life.

Building on strong interest in last year’s session, this program expands the focus beyond survivorship to include lifestyle medicine during active treatment and advanced disease. Through case examples, emerging evidence, and practical implementation strategies, panelists will offer actionable approaches for integrating lifestyle medicine across oncology care settings in both clinical and community contexts.