Higher Levels of Physical Activity Improve Survival Among Men With Prostate Cancer
Men with localized prostate cancer who walked or cycled for 20 minutes or more a day had a 30% decreased overall mortality and a 39% decreased prostate cancer–specific mortality compared with men who spent less time engaging in those activities, a large Swedish study has found. The study results strengthen previous data indicating beneficial effects of physical activity on survival among men with prostate cancer. The study by Bonn et al is published Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention.
Study Methodology
The researchers analyzed data from a cohort of 4,623 men diagnosed with localized prostate cancer from 1997 to 2002 and followed until 2012. The study participants were all men in the National Prostate Cancer Resister of Sweden Follow-up Study, a retrospective, nationwide cohort study of men with localized prostate cancer who were alive in 2007. The mean age at diagnosis was 63.1 years.
Time spent walking/bicycling, performing household work, and exercising after diagnosis was estimated using a physical activity questionnaire. The participants’ body mass index at diagnosis was also calculated, and lifestyle habits, such as smoking after diagnosis, education level, and occupation during the past year were assessed.
The endpoints in the study were prostate cancer–specific mortality and all-cause mortality. Cause of death and date of death were obtained from the Swedish Cause-of-Death Registry.
Study Findings
During the follow-up, 561 deaths of any cause and 194 deaths from prostate cancer occurred. The data show that the men who walked or cycled for 20 or more minutes a day had a 30% decreased risk of overall mortality and a 39% decreased risk of prostate cancer–specific mortality compared with less active men. Men who engaged in 1 or more hours of exercise per week, overall and prostate cancer–specific mortality rates were decreased by 26% and 32%, respectively, compared with their less active counterparts.
“Our results extend the known benefits of physical activity to include prostate cancer–specific survival,” said Stephanie Bonn, MSc, a doctoral candidate in the Department of Medical Epidemiology and Biostatistics at the Karolinska Institutet in Stockholm and lead author of the study, in a statement. “However, it is important to remember that our results are on a group level. An individual’s survival depends on many factors, but physical activity is one factor that individuals can modify. Hopefully, our study can motivate men to be physically active even after a prostate cancer diagnosis.”
Ms. Bonn is the corresponding author for the Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention article.
The study was funded by the Swedish Cancer Society and the Swedish Research Council for Health, Working Life, and Welfare. The study authors reported no conflicts of interest.
The content in this post has not been reviewed by the American Society of Clinical Oncology, Inc. (ASCO®) and does not necessarily reflect the ideas and opinions of ASCO®.
