Five Lifestyle Medicine Research Areas Revolutionizing Cancer Treatment and Care
Article Summary
- Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center is offering innovative, lifestyle modification interventions and clinical trials for cancer patients.
- Current research says behavior modifications like a healthy diet and regular exercise can reduce cancer risk.
- Sylvester’s offerings include plant-forward diets, technology-influenced remote data tracking and stress-reduction strategies as complementary tools to enhance conventional therapies.
Cancer care is undergoing a transformative shift, expanding beyond traditional treatments like chemotherapy, surgery and radiation to a more holistic approach that incorporates clinical practice, research and patient empowerment.
Lifestyle medicine—a science-backed approach focused on nutrition, physical activity, stress management and social connection—is playing a pivotal role in improving patient outcomes, enhancing well-being and reducing the risk of recurrence. Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center, part of the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, is leading the way in treating the whole person—mind, body and spirit.
From plant-forward diets to innovative stress-reduction strategies, cancer patients and survivors now have powerful, complementary tools to enhance conventional therapies.
“For cancer survivors, embracing healthy lifestyle behaviors is more than prevention—it’s a vital part of the survivorship journey,” said Tracy Crane, Ph.D., RDN, director of lifestyle medicine, prevention and digital health and co-lead of the Cancer Control Program at Sylvester. “With over 22 million cancer survivors expected in the U.S. by 2030, and fewer than 4% meeting national guidelines for diet and physical activity, the need is urgent. Nourishing the body, staying physically active and maintaining a healthy weight can enhance quality of life, lower the risk of recurrence and promote lasting recovery.”
“Cancer is one of the leading causes of mortality in the U.S., with lifestyle-related risk factors playing a key role,” added Paola Rossi, M.D., clinical program director for lifestyle medicine at Sylvester. “While we intuitively understand the importance of diet and exercise, conflicting messages can be confusing and make it difficult to make healthy choices. As clinicians and researchers, it’s our responsibility to offer clear, accurate guidance to help people navigate this complexity.”
Here are five lifestyle medicine research areas that are reshaping cancer care and offering renewed hope for patients at all stages of their journey.
Tech Personalization
As elements of cancer care shift from the clinic to the home, digital tools like Sylvester’s My Wellness Research platform are helping scientists and physicians monitor patients remotely and deliver care in real time.
Part of the Sylvester Cancer Data Ecosystem initiative, this proprietary platform combines lifestyle medicine with computational oncology to improve outcomes and address individual patient needs. It integrates lifestyle data, genomics, imaging, clinical records and sociodemographics to track treatment progress and lifestyle behaviors.
By analyzing large-scale data from wearables, video sessions and health coaching calls, researchers can create personalized treatment plans that optimize care.
Preventive Solutions for Individuals at High-Risk for Cancer
Positive lifestyle changes are critical for individuals at high risk of developing cancer due to genetic predisposition or personal and family history.
The Prevention Lifestyle Medicine Clinic at Sylvester provides personalized lifestyle modifications and support programs for those with high-risk genetic mutations, such as BRCA or Lynch syndrome.
As part of the Diamond Hereditary Cancer Prevention Initiative, the clinic combines family history and genetic assessments with behavioral data from Fitbits, Apple watches and other digital tools. These tools help track exercise, sleep, diet and activity in real time, ensuring a targeted and data-driven approach to prevention. A dedicated health coach meets with patients in the high-risk clinic to review these digital biomarkers and develop personalized programs to improve health behaviors such as diet, exercise, sleep and tobacco use.
Lifestyle Interventions for Older Cancer Survivors and Their Caregivers
After a cancer diagnosis, older adults often experience physical and mental health declines. Funded by PCORI and launched in 2025, the VITALITY study is examining the best ways to deliver lifestyle interventions to this population.
Led by Dr. Crane at Sylvester, the five-year study involves 763 patient-caregiver pairs. It compares a high-touch approach, which includes virtual supervision by trainers and dietitians, with a low-touch approach that uses text messaging, wearable devices and self-guided online resources.
The study aims to determine the most effective and cost-efficient method for supporting older cancer survivors and their caregivers through lifestyle changes that improve physical function and cognition.
Circadian Alignment
Women with a history of advanced breast cancer are living longer due to newer treatments. However, these treatments can result in increased levels of fatigue. In the FastER clinical trial, researchers from Sylvester and Dana-Farber Cancer Institute are testing circadian alignment’s impact on treatment-related fatigue in patients undergoing CDK4/6 inhibitor therapy for advanced breast cancer.
This National Cancer Institute–funded study explores the impact of prolonged overnight fasting, with or without exercise, to help regulate patients’ biological clocks.
Dr. Crane, who leads the study, previously found that synching circadian rhythms through diet and movement improved sleep and reduced fatigue. Now, this research targets women with advanced or metastatic breast cancer to address one of the treatment’s most debilitating side effects.
Chemotherapy Outcomes for Ovarian Cancer Patients
Dr. Crane is also collaborating with Yale University researchers on the Trial of Exercise and Lifestyle in Women With Ovarian Cancer (TEAL), part of the Exercise and Nutrition Interventions to Improve Cancer Treatment-Related Outcomes (ENICTO) consortium. The study investigates how diet and physical activity affect chemotherapy outcomes.
TEAL aims to improve chemotherapy completion rates by integrating lifestyle prescriptions into care. It’s also the only trial in the consortium offering services in Spanish, designed specifically for South Florida’s culturally diverse population.
Dr. Crane leads ENICTO’s diet and nutrition working group, which focuses on enhancing treatment outcomes through evidence-based lifestyle practices.
“Lifestyle medicine allows us to integrate the human behavior aspect with the clinical data we gather on patients,” Dr. Crane said. “All of these programs empower patients, survivors and caregivers to actively reduce cancer risk through healthy lifestyle choices, ultimately enhancing the patient experience and improving long-term outcomes.”
Learn More
Contact the Crane Lab to learn more about Sylvester programs and clinical trials.
Tags: cancer and exercise, cancer research, clinical trials, Dr. Paola Rossi, Dr. Tracy Crane, lifestyle medicine, nutrition, Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center