In a nutshell
This trial investigated the impact of lifestyle changes in diet and exercise on the quality of life (QoL) of advanced prostate cancer (PC) patients.
Some background
PC can affect patients' QoL as a direct result of the disease itself and as side effects from treatments. Erectile dysfunction (problems obtaining or maintaining an erection for sexual intercourse), urinary incontinence (loss of bladder control) and fatigue (tiredness) are some of the examples for reduced QoL in PC patients (disease specific QoL). Patients with advanced PC are usually treated with androgen-deprivation therapy or ADT (a type of hormone therapy that reduces the amount of male sex hormones that fuel the growth of PC) which has demonstrated to cause fatigue and psychological side effects. Also, there is an increased risk of heart diseases in patients who receive ADT. All these adverse effects can decrease survival rate in advanced PC patients who are already burdened by the disease itself. This trial investigated whether changes in lifestyle, specifically in exercise and diet, can improve QoL in PC patients.
Methods & findings
100 men with advanced PC treated with ADT were chosen for this trial. All the men were sedentary (physically inactive). Half of the participants were randomly assigned to an intervention group for 12 weeks (supervised exercise and healthy diet programs), while the second half of the participants were the control group (they kept their usual program and only had regular physical examinations). All men received questionnaires regarding their general health and QoL before the trial, after 12 weeks (during which there was a supervised support) and again after 6 months (after withdrawal of support). Main criteria that were evaluated were fatigue, blood pressure and disease specific QoL.
After 12 weeks, a significant improvement in fatigue was seen in the intervention group and it was maintained for 6 months. In addition, the intervention group showed improvements in QoL, which ceased after 12 weeks, indicating that the support team had a significant influence on this improvement. No difference in blood pressure was found between the groups.
The bottom line
This trial found that exercise and healthy diet can improve important aspects in patients' QoL. While this improvement is seen in overall QoL, lifestyle changes can potentially be beneficial to survival rate.
What’s next?
Consult with your doctor about how to change your lifestyle for your benefit and improve your QoL during and after treatment.
Published By :
European Urology
Date :
Oct 05, 2013
