LIFESTYLE INTERVENTION FOR PROMOTING PHYSICAL ACTIVITY IN PROSTATE CANCER PATIENTS WITH ANDROGEN DEPRIVATION THERAPY

Abstract

Background and objective Despite the awareness of the important roles of physical activity (PA), the majority of cancer survivors fail to meet PA guidelines due to a lack of access to facilities or motivation. The purpose of this study is to examine the effectiveness of lifestyle intervention in prostate cancer (PC) patients receiving androgen deprivation therapy (ADT).

Material and methods A total of 23 PC patients (aged 75.26 +/- 6.9 years) receiving ADT at least 3 months were randomized into an intervention group (n=12) and a control group (n=11). The intervention group received lifestyle intervention in the form of education program. Levels of PA, body composition, physical function, disease-specific quality of life (QoL), and fatigue were assessed before and after the 12-week intervention.

Results The intervention group showed improvements in the level of PA (step count: p=0.028, moderate to vigorous PA: p=0.013) compared with the control group. Thigh circumference (p=0.002), physical function (grip strength: p=0.0344; knee extensor: p=0.004, up and go: p=0.001; 2-min step: p=0.001), QoL (p<0.001), and fatigue (p=0.001) were also improved compared with the control group. There were no adverse events during the lifestyle intervention period. ConclusionThe 12-week lifestyle intervention program appears to be a promising strategy to increase the PA and mitigate the side effects of ADT for PC patients.