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Randomized Controlled Trial
. 2016 Dec;10(6):972-980.
doi: 10.1007/s11764-016-0543-6. Epub 2016 Apr 20.

Fitness outcomes from a randomised controlled trial of exercise training for men with prostate cancer: the ENGAGE study

Cadeyrn J Gaskin  1 , Steve F Fraser  2 , Patrick J Owen  2 , Melinda Craike  1   3 , Liliana Orellana  4 , Patricia M Livingston  5
Affiliations
Randomized Controlled Trial

Fitness outcomes from a randomised controlled trial of exercise training for men with prostate cancer: the ENGAGE study

Cadeyrn J Gaskin et al. J Cancer Surviv. 2016 Dec.

Abstract

Purpose: The main purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of a 12-week, clinician-referred, community-based exercise training program with supervised and unsupervised sessions for men with prostate cancer. The secondary purpose was to determine whether androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) modified responses to exercise training.

Methods: Secondary analysis was undertaken on data from a multicentre cluster randomised controlled trial in which 15 clinicians were randomly assigned to refer eligible patients to an exercise training intervention (n = 8) or to provide usual care (n = 7). Data from 119 patients (intervention n = 53, control n = 66) were available for this analysis. Outcome measures included fitness and physical function, anthropometrics, resting heart rate, and blood pressure.

Results: Compared to the control condition, men in the intervention significantly improved their 6-min walk distance (M diff = 49.98 m, p adj = 0.001), leg strength (M diff = 21.82 kg, p adj = 0.001), chest strength (M diff = 6.91 kg, p adj = 0.001), 30-s sit-to-stand result (M diff = 3.38 reps, p adj = 0.001), and reach distance (M diff = 4.8 cm, p adj = 0.024). A significant difference (unadjusted for multiplicity) in favour of men in the intervention was also found for resting heart rate (M diff = -3.76 beats/min, p = 0.034). ADT did not modify responses to exercise training.

Conclusions: Men with prostate cancer who act upon clinician referrals to community-based exercise training programs can improve their strength, physical functioning, and, potentially, cardiovascular health, irrespective of whether or not they are treated with ADT.

Implications for cancer survivors: Clinicians should inform men with prostate cancer about the benefits of exercise and refer them to appropriately qualified exercise practitioners and suitable community-based programs.

Trial registration: Australia and New Zealand Clinical Trials Register (ANZCTR): ACTRN12610000609055.

Keywords: Aerobic exercise training; Androgen deprivation therapy; Fitness; Physical function; Prostate cancer; Resistance exercise training.

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Conflict of interest statement

Compliance with ethical standards Funding This study was funded by the Australian Research Council (LP100200176) and the Prostate Cancer Foundation of Australia, with in-kind support from YMCA Victoria, Eastern Health, Epworth Healthcare, North Eastern Metropolitan Integrated Cancer Service, and Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre. Conflict of interest The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest. Ethical approval All procedures performed in studies involving human participants were in accordance with the ethical standards of the institutional and/or national research committee and with the 1964 Helsinki declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards. Informed consent Informed consent was obtained from all individual participants included in the study.

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