Accelerometer-derived concentrated physical activity pattern and mortality in cancer survivors: the UK Biobank accelerometry study

Although reduced mortality associated with moderate-to-vigorous physical activity has been reported among cancer survivors, the benefits of a concentrated physical activity pattern remain unclear. This prospective cohort study included 6075 cancer survivors from the UK Biobank accelerometry dataset: 2390 (39.3%) were inactive (<150 minutes/week), 1295 (21.3%) were active concentrated (≥150 minutes/week and achieved ≥50% total moderate-to-vigorous physical activity within 1-2 days), and 2390 (39.3%) were active regular (≥150 minutes/week but other than concentrated). After a median follow-up of 8 years (interquartile range [IQR] = 7.5 to 8.5 years), 634 deaths occurred. Active concentrated and regular patterns were associated with similar reduced all-cause mortality (hazard ratio [HR] = 0.72, 95% CI = 0.60 to 0.86; HR = 0.71, 95% CI = 0.56 to 0.89) and noncancer mortality (HR = 0.66, 95% CI = 0.47 to 0.92; HR = 0.56, 95% CI = 0.35 to 0.89). These findings highlight the concentrated physical activity pattern as a lifestyle intervention for cancer survivors.