ORLANDO: Regular exercise cuts the risk of people re-developing colon cancer, researchers told a Tuesday meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology.

The Dana-Farber Cancer Institute study found a 40 percent to 50 percent reduction in the recurrence of stage III colon cancer for people who exercised regularly after undergoing chemotherapy and surgery.

Regular exercise was defined as walking briskly for one hour six days a week — or playing tennis or jogging several times a week.

“There is a growing body of evidence that there are things you can do in addition to chemotherapy for colon cancer survivors to reduce the likelihood that the disease will recur,” lead researcher Jeffrey Meyerhardt said.

A separate Dana-Farber study involving the same group found regular use of aspirin reduces the risk of re-developing colon cancer about as much as exercise.