Physical activity for men receiving androgen deprivation therapy for prostate cancer: benefits from a 16-week intervention

Abstract

Goals of work: Prostate cancer patients receiving androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) are vulnerable to a number of potentially debilitating side effects, which can significantly impact quality of life. The role of alternate therapies, such as physical activity (PA), in attenuating these side effects is largely understudied for such a large population. Thus, the purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of PA intervention for men receiving ADT on PA behavior, quality of life, and fitness measures.

Patients and methods: One hundred participants were randomized into an intervention (n = 53) or a wait-list control group (n = 47), with 11 dropping out of the intervention group and 23 dropping out of the wait-list control group prior to post-testing. The intervention consisted of both an individually tailored home-based aerobic and light resistant training program and weekly group sessions. PA, quality of life, fitness, and physiological outcomes were assessed pre and post the 16-week intervention.

Results: Significant increases in PA, supported by changes in girth measures and blood pressure, support the beneficial impact of the intervention. Positive trends were also evident for depression and fatigue. However, due to the high dropout rate, these results must be interpreted with caution.

Conclusions: PA effectively attenuates many of the side effects of ADT and should be recommended to prostate survivors as an alternate therapy. Determining the maintenance of this behavior change will be important for understanding how the long-term benefits of increased activity levels may alleviate the late effects of ADT.