Exercise and cancer: a position statement from the Spanish Society of Medical Oncology.

Due to improvements in the number of cancer survivors and survival time, there is a growing interest in healthy behaviors, such as physical activity (PA), and their potential impact on cancer- and non-cancer-related morbidity in individuals with cancer. Commissioned by the Spanish Society of Medical Oncology (SEOM), in this review, we sought to distill the most recent evidence on this topic, focusing on the mechanisms that underpin the effects of PA on cancer, the role of PA in cancer prevention and in the prognosis of cancer and practical recommendations for clinicians regarding PA counseling. Despite the available information, the introduction of exercise programs into the global management of cancer patients remains a challenge with several areas of uncertainty. Among others, the most effective behavioral interventions to achieve long-term changes in a patient's lifestyle and the optimal intensity and duration of PA should be defined with more precision in future studies.

Epidemiological characteristics of a Spanish cohort of patients diagnosed with squamous cell carcinoma of head and neck: distribution of risk factors by tumor location.

PURPOSE: Head and neck cancer is a highly heterogeneous disease comprising a large number of tumors located in the cervicofacial area. This study aimed to determine the epidemiological characteristics of squamous-cell carcinomas of the head and neck in the Spanish population, and the distribution of risk factors based on tumor locations. METHODS/PATIENTS: A cohort of 459 patients (75 oral cavity, 167 oro-/hypopharyngeal and 217 laryngeal cancers) recruited in 19 hospitals participating in the Spanish head and neck cancer cooperative group were included over 3 years (2012-2014). Epidemiological parameters and risk factors were obtained from a self-administered questionnaire, and tumor characteristics were obtained from clinical records. Multivariate multinomial logistic regression was used to assess factors associated with tumor location. RESULTS: Most patients were males (88.4 %), smokers (95 %) and drinkers (76.5 %). Relative to laryngeal cancer, pharyngeal cancer and oral cancer were more common in women than men (OR 3.58, p = 0.003 and 4.33, p = 0.001, respectively); pharyngeal cancer was more associated with rural environment (OR 1.81, p = 0.007) and weekly alcohol intake (10-140 g: OR 2.53, p = 0.012; 141-280 g: OR 2.47, p = 0.023; >280 g: OR 3.20, p = 0.001) and less associated with pack-years of smoking (21-40 packs: OR 0.46, p = 0.045; 41-70 packs: OR 0.43, p = 0.023; ≥71 packs: OR 3.20, p = 0.015). CONCLUSIONS: The distribution of these tumors differs between the sexes, with a higher proportion of oral cavity and pharyngeal tumors in women than in men. Oro-/hypopharyngeal cancers were more strongly associated with rural areas and with alcohol consumption, although less strongly associated with smoking than laryngeal tumors.