Erectile dysfunction could be improved through regular exercise in men with prostate cancer, according to a recent study published by Galvão et al in JAMA Network Open.
Background
Sexual dysfunction is a critical adverse effect of prostate cancer treatment and a major survivorship issue among patients and their partners.
“Erectile dysfunction is a major issue that affects [patients with] prostate cancer, but it also results in relationship issues. Most of these patients aren’t offered health interventions to support their sexual function, and we are hoping to address this,” stressed lead study author Daniel Galvão, PhD, Professor and Director of the Exercise Medicine Research Institute at Edith Cowan University.
Study Methods and Results
In the study, researchers analyzed the impact of regular exercise as well as the introduction of psychosexual education and a self-managed intervention among 112 patients with prostate cancer. The patients were randomly assigned to undertake a combination of aerobic and resistance training 3 days per week under clinical supervision or usual care. The aerobic component involving between 20 and 30 minutes of cardiovascular exercise at moderate to high intensity, while the resistance training exercises included between six to eight exercises with intensity ranging from six to 12 repetitions each session.
“The study participants were also asked to work out at home to accumulate a total of at least 150 minutes of moderate- to high-intensity aerobic exercise per week,” Dr. Galvão added.
In addition to the exercise interventions, some of patients underwent a brief psychosexual education and self-management intervention in which they were equipped with tools for sexual rehabilitation and education, including reading materials on the treatment of erectile dysfunction and audio resources for stress management.
The researchers noted that there was a critical window of rehabilitation following cancer treatment where patients with prostate cancer have the opportunity to address erectile dysfunction without the need for medical or surgical interventions.
After a follow-up of 6 months, the researchers found that the brief psychosexual education and self-management intervention didn’t result in any additional improvements. However, the patients undertaking physical exercise achieved improved erectile function compared with usual care. The effects of exercise for erectile function were more pronounced among the subgroups who had received radiotherapy and androgen deprivation therapy compared with those who had undergone prostatectomy.
Further, the patients who had reported lower levels of sexual desire, intercourse satisfaction, and overall satisfaction prior to the exercise intervention reported higher levels of benefit. The researchers detailed that regular exercise was also effective at preventing body fat weight gain and resulted in improvements in muscle strength.
Conclusions
“The study suggests that exercise would be an effective intervention for men with prostate cancer who express concern about sexual dysfunction, and that exercise medicine should be considered a key part of their treatment,” concluded Dr. Galvão.
Disclosure: For full disclosures of the study authors, visit jamanetwork.com.
