Objectives: Men who receive androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) for prostate cancer
(PCa) are at risk of several adverse effects that can be detrimental to both their physical
and mental health. Common adverse effects include weight gain, muscle wasting,
cardiovascular morbidity, fatigue and impaired quality of life (QOL). This study tested
whether a combined aerobic and resistance exercise program can alleviate some of these
symptoms in men receiving ADT.
Design: Men with PCa, aged 50-80 years, receiving ADT were recruited to participate in
this prospective randomized controlled trial. Subjects were assigned to a usual care
group (UCG) or an exercise intervention group (EIG). The EIG completed a 16 week
combined aerobic and resistance exercise program. Outcomes measures were assessed at
baseline, 16 weeks, and 24 weeks and included: cardio-respiratory fitness; muscle
strength and endurance; body composition; and reports of QOL, fatigue, mood, partner
relations, and exercise behaviour.
Results: Fifteen men were recruited to this study, but two participants in the EIG did not
finish the study leaving the EIG with an n = 6 and the UCG with an n = 7. The exercise
program did not lead to changes in weight, BMI or body fat. There was a small, close to
significant, increase in muscle mass in the EIG over the intervention period (p = 0.052).
This is encouraging as it demonstrates that exercise can counteract the catabolic effects of
ADT. Interestingly, cardio-respiratory fitness improved over the course of the study for
both groups. Muscular fitness, however, improved only for the EIG. There was a
significant difference in chest press strength (p = 0.041) and leg press strength was
bordering significance (p = 0.058). Unexpectedly, QOL declined for both groups during
the intervention (p = 0.029). Participants in both groups also reported increased levels of
fatigue from baseline to 24 weeks, although these changes were not significant (p =
0.586). Mood worsened over the study period for both groups from baseline to 16 weeks,
but this increase in anxiety and depression was reduced at the follow-up period. These
changes, too, were not significant (p = 0.364). Reports of partner relationships trended
towards lower scores from baseline to 16 weeks. The men’s report in both groups and the
women’s report in the EIG improved at the 24 week mark, but women in the UCG
experienced further decline. Surprisingly, participants in both groups reported increases
in exercise behaviour from baseline to 24 weeks. This could account for the lack of
difference found in many of the measures. The power of this study was 0.22.
Conclusion: Although this was a small study, it showed that a combined aerobic and
resistance exercise program can have some positive benefits for men with PCa who are
receiving ADT. Larger trials are needed to further examine the role of exercise in
ameliorating the side effects of ADT, particularly in the areas of mood and partner
relationships.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:LACETR/oai:collectionscanada.gc.ca:NSHD.ca#10222/13338 |
| Date | 07 March 2011 |
| Creators | Murphy, Robyn Marie |
| Source Sets | Library and Archives Canada ETDs Repository / Centre d'archives des thèses électroniques de Bibliothèque et Archives Canada |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
Page generated in 0.0022 seconds