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. 2017 Sep;16(3):290-299.
doi: 10.1177/1534735416666373. Epub 2016 Sep 1.

Feasibility of Presurgical Exercise in Men With Prostate Cancer Undergoing Prostatectomy

Favil Singh  1 , Robert U Newton  1 , Michael K Baker  2   3 , Nigel A Spry  1   4   5 , Dennis R Taaffe  1   6 , Jeffery Thavaseelan  7 , Daniel A Galvão  1
Affiliations

Feasibility of Presurgical Exercise in Men With Prostate Cancer Undergoing Prostatectomy

Favil Singh et al. Integr Cancer Ther. 2017 Sep.

Abstract

Background: Prostatectomy is associated with short- and long-term morbidity, which includes attenuation of muscle function and deterioration of lean body mass. Physical function is a known predictor of morbidity and mortality, with initial evidence indicating that presurgical exercise is associated with fewer postsurgical complications and shorter hospitalization. The aim was to determine the feasibility of a supervised presurgical exercise program for prostate cancer (PCa) patients scheduled for prostatectomy.

Methods: Ten men (68+6.4 years old) with localized PCa undertook a 6-week resistance and aerobic exercise program prior surgery. Training was undertaken twice weekly and patients were assessed at baseline, presurgery, and 6 weeks postsurgery. Outcome measures included muscle and physical performance, body composition, urinary incontinence and questionnaire.

Results: Muscle strength increased by 7.5% to 24.3% ( P < .05) from baseline to presurgery but decreased to pretraining levels postsurgery, except for knee extensor strength ( P = .247). There were significant improvements ( P < .05) in the 6-m fast walk (9.3%), 400-m walk (7.4%), and chair rise (12.3%) at presurgery. Following surgery, improvements in physical performance were maintained. There was no change in lean or fat mass prior to surgery, but lean mass declined by 2.7 kg ( P = .014) following surgery. There were no adverse effects from the exercise program.

Conclusions: Exercise undertaken prior to prostatectomy improved muscle and physical performance, with functional benefits maintained 6 weeks postsurgery. Presurgical exercise for PCa patients has the potential to facilitate recovery by improving physical reserve capacity, especially in men with poor muscle nd physical performance.

Keywords: exercise; incontinence; prehabilitation; prostate cancer; prostatectomy; surgery.

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Conflict of interest statement

Declaration of Conflicting Interests: The author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.
Comparison of walking speed (m/s) at baseline, presurgery, and postsurgery. *Significantly different from baseline; P < .05.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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