In a nutshell
The authors determined the effectiveness of a clinician (doctor or nurse working directly with patients) referral and exercise in improving quality of life in men with prostate cancer.
Some background
Quality of life can be described as a patient’s ability to function on a social, physical and emotional level during and after treatment. Some prostate cancer treatments may have a negative impact on a patient’s quality of life. Exercise has been identified to have a positive impact on patients receiving prostate cancer treatments. Exercise improves quality of life and reduces the impact of side effects from the treatments.
Further studies are needed to determine whether exercise is a viable option for improving quality of life in prostate cancer patients.
Methods & findings
The authors aimed to determine the effect of exercise on a prostate cancer patient's quality of life and whether clinicians should refer patients to specific exercise regimes after treatment.
147 patients participated in this study. Patients took part in a 12-week exercise program that involved 2 gym sessions and 1 home-based session per week. 15 clinicians monitored patient progress.
Patients who completed vigorous exercise (45 minutes of exercise) experienced a significant intervention effect (improvements in social, physical or emotional function) compared to patients who did not exercise. Patients who carried out more than 150 minutes of aerobic exercise (physical activity to strengthen heart and lungs) per week experienced a 3.9 times increase in intervention effects compared to patients who did not exercise. Positive intervention effects were evident in patient groups for brain function (memory, reasoning, attention etc.) and also in patients with depression .
80% of patients, who completed the evaluation, reported that their doctors’ referrals influenced their decision to participate in the exercise program. 75% reported they would recommend the exercise program to patients with prostate cancer. 91.5% reported that the exercise program was rewarding. 88% reported that the exercise program was extremely or quite beneficial to their health and well-being.
The bottom line
The authors concluded that clinician referral and a 12-week vigorous exercise program significantly improved patients’ mental health and well-being.
The fine print
Patients involved in the study may have been more physically active than average prostate cancer patients, so results may be biased.
Published By :
Cancer
Date :
Apr 15, 2015
