Skip to main content

Advertisement

Log in

Physical exercise and quality of life in patients with prostate cancer: systematic review and meta-analysis

  • Review Article
  • Published:
Supportive Care in Cancer Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Background

Prostate cancer leads to worse quality of life due to treatment and consequences of disease; benefits of physical exercise remain unclear on the improvement of quality of life in this population. The aim of this study is to evaluate the effectiveness of physical exercise in improving quality of life in patients with prostate cancer.

Methods

A systematic review and meta-analysis was carried out. For the search of studies, we used electronics databases such as Cochrane Library, MEDLINE via PUBMED, Regional Health Portal, and EMBASE, without language restrictions or year of publication. The descriptors used were as follows: “prostatic neoplasms,” “exercise,” and “quality of life.” The risk analysis of bias in the meta-analysis was based on the Cochrane Collaboration Tool. For statistical analysis, the fixed effects model was used. Randomized controlled trials were included, which had a sample of patients with stage I–IV prostate cancer and that the intervention was aerobic physical exercise (AE) or resistance physical exercise (RE) or combined AE and RE.

Results

Five thousand six hundred nineteen studies were identified, but only 12 studies were selected. The quality of life of the patients was measured using instruments (SF 36, EORTC, AQoL-8D, IPSS and FACT-P), which served to divide the studies in groups where they presented the same instrument used. The analysis carried out shows that the quality of life of patients with prostate cancer submitted to aerobic training regimens had a protective effect in relation to the others.

Conclusion

Most studies show an improvement in the quality of life of patients when they practice physical exercise, perceived by increasing the score of the instrument in question. However, methodological and heterogeneous differences between the studies increase the analysis bias.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3

Similar content being viewed by others

Data Availability

All data and materials were submitted for publication.

Code availability

The analyses were performed with RevMan 5 (Cochrane Collaboration’s).

References

  1. Hackshaw-McGeagh L, Lane JA, Persad R, Gillatt D, Holly JMP, Koupparis A, Rowe E, Johnston L, Cloete J, Shiridzinomwa C, Abrams P, Penfold CM, Bahl A, Oxley J, Perks CM, Martin R (2016) Prostate cancer - evidence of exercise and nutrition trial (PrEvENT): study protocol for a randomised controlled feasibility trial. Trials 17(1). https://doi.org/10.1186/s13063-016-1248-x

  2. Keilani M, Hasenoehrl T, Baumann L, Ristl R, Schwarz M, Marhold M (2017) Effects of resistance exercise in prostate cancer patients: a meta-analysis. Support Care Cancer 25(9). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00520-017-3771-z

  3. Buffart LM, Galvão DA, Chinapaw MJ, Brug J, Taaffe DR, Spry N, Joseph D, Newton RU (2014) Mediators of the resistance and aerobic exercise intervention effect on physical and general health in men undergoing androgen deprivation therapy for prostate cancer. Cancer 120(2):294–301. https://doi.org/10.1002/cncr.28396

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  4. Chambers SK, Ng SK, Baade P, Aitken JF, Hyde MK, Wittert G, Frydenberg M, Dunn J (2017) Trajectories of quality of life, life satisfaction, and psychological adjustment after prostate cancer. Psycho-Oncology 26(10):1576–1585. https://doi.org/10.1002/pon.4342

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  5. Newton RU, Taaffe DR, Spry N, Cormie P, Chambers SK, Gardiner RA (2012) Can exercise ameliorate treatment toxicity during the initial phase of testosterone deprivation in prostate cancer patients? Is this more effective than delayed rehabilitation? BMC Cancer 12(432). https://doi.org/10.1186/1471-2407-12-432

  6. Zopf EM, Bloch W, Machtens S, Zumbé J, Rübben H, Marschner S (2015) Effects of a 15-month supervised exercise program on physical and psychological outcomes in prostate cancer patients following prostatectomy: the ProRehab study. Integr Cancer Ther 14(5):409–418. https://doi.org/10.1177/1534735415583552

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  7. Alibhai SMH, Breunis H, Timilshina N, Johnston C, Tomlinson G, Tannock I (2010) Impact of androgen-deprivation therapy on physical function and quality of life in men with nonmetastatic prostate cancer. J Clin Oncol 28(34):5038–5045. https://doi.org/10.1200/JCO.2010.29.8091

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  8. Segal RJ, Reid RD, Courneya KS, Malone SC, Parliament MB, Scott CG, Venner PM, Quinney HA, Jones LW, Slovinec D’Angelo ME, Wells GA (2003) Resistance exercise in men receiving androgen deprivation therapy for prostate cancer. J Clin Oncol 21(9):1653–1659. https://doi.org/10.1200/JCO.2003.09.534

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  9. Segal RJ, Reid RD, Courneya KS, Sigal RJ, Kenny GP, Prud’Homme DG (2009) Randomized controlled trial of resistance or aerobic exercise in men receiving radiation therapy for prostate cancer. J Clin Oncol 27(3):344–351. https://doi.org/10.1200/JCO.2007.15.4963

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  10. Truong PT, Gaul CA, McDonald RE, Petersen RB, Jones SO, Alexander AS, Lim JTW, Ludgate C (2011) Prospective evaluation of a 12-week walking exercise program and its effect on fatigue in prostate cancer patients undergoing radical external beam radiotherapy. Am J Clin Oncol 34(4):350–355. https://doi.org/10.1097/COC.0b013e3181e841ec

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  11. Daubenmier JJ, Weidner G, Marlin R, Crutchfield L, Dunn-Emke S, Chi C et al (2006) Lifestyle and health-related quality of life of men with prostate cancer managed with active surveillance. Urology 67(1):125–130. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.urology.2005.07.056

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  12. Moher D, Liberati A, Tetzlaff J, Altman DG, The PRISMA Group (2009) Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses: The PRISMA Statement. Open Med 3(3):123–130

    Google Scholar 

  13. Amin MB, Edge BS, Greene FL, Schilsky RL, Gaspar LE, Washington MK (2017) AJCC Cancer Staging Manual, 8th edn. Springer, New York, pp 715–725

    Book  Google Scholar 

  14. Bourke L, Stevenson R, Turner R, Hooper R, Sasieni P, Greasley R, Morrissey D, Loosemore M, Fisher A, Payne H, Taylor SJC, Rosario DJ (2018) Exercise training as a novel primary treatment for localised prostate cancer: a multi-site randomised controlled phase II study. Sci Rep 8(1):1–10. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-018-26682-0

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  15. O’Neill RF, Haseen F, Murray LJ, O’Sullivan JM, Cantwell MM (2015) A randomised controlled trial to evaluate the efficacy of a 6-month dietary and physical activity intervention for patients receiving androgen deprivation therapy for prostate cancer. J Cancer Surviv 9(3):431–440. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11764-014-0417-8

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  16. Galvão DA, Newton RU, Girgis A, Lepore SJ, Stiller A, Mihalopoulos C, Gardiner RA, Taaffe DR, Occhipinti S, Chambers SK (2017) Randomized controlled trial of a peer led multimodal intervention for men with prostate cancer to increase exercise participation. Psycho-Oncology 27(1):199–207. https://doi.org/10.1002/pon.4495

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  17. Hojan K, Kowska-Borowczyk EK, Leporowska E, Gorecki M, Ozga-Majchrzak O, Milecki T, Milecki P (2016) Physical exercise for functional capacity, blood immune function, fatigue, and quality of life in high-risk prostate cancer patients during radiotherapy: a prospective, randomized clinical study. Eur J Phys Rehabil Med 52(4):489–501

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  18. Hojan K, Kwiatkowska-Borowczyk E, Leporowska E, Milecki P (2017) Inflammation, cardiometabolic markers, and functional changes in men with prostate cancer: a randomized controlled trial of a 12-month exercise program. Pol Arch Intern Med 127(1):25–35. https://doi.org/10.20452/pamw.3888

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  19. Nilsen TS, Raastad T, Skovlund E, Courneya KS, Langberg CW, Lilleby W, Fosså SD, Thorsen L (2015) Effects of strength training on body composition, physical functioning, and quality of life in prostate cancer patients during androgen deprivation therapy. Acta Oncol 54(10):1805–1813. https://doi.org/10.3109/0284186X.2015.1037008

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  20. Buffart LM, Newton RU, Chinapaw MJ, Taaffe DR, Spry NA, Denham JW, Joseph DJ, Lamb DS, Brug J, Galvão DA (2015) The effect, moderators, and mediators of resistance and aerobic exercise on health-related quality of life in older long-term survivors of prostate cancer. Cancer 121(16):2821–2830. https://doi.org/10.1002/cncr.29406

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  21. Kim SH, Seong DH, Yoon SM, Choi YD, Choi E, Song Y, Song H (2017) The effect on bone outcomes of home-based exercise intervention for prostate cancer survivors receiving androgen deprivation therapy: a pilot randomized controlled trial. Cancer Nurs 41(5):379–388. https://doi.org/10.1097/NCC.0000000000000530

    Article  Google Scholar 

  22. Cormie P, Galvão DA, Spry N, Joseph D, Chee R, Taaffe DR, Chambers SK, Newton RU (2014) Can supervised exercise prevent treatment toxicity in patients with prostate cancer initiating androgen-deprivation therapy: a randomised controlled trial. BJU Int 115(2):256–266. https://doi.org/10.1111/bju.12646

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  23. Culos-Reed SN, Robinson JW, Lau H, Stephenson L, Keats M, Norris S, Kline G, Faris P (2010) Physical activity for men receiving androgen deprivation therapy for prostate cancer: benefits from a 16-week intervention. Support Care Cancer 18(5):591–599. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00520-009-0694-3

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  24. Schwartz AL, de Heer HD, Bea JW (2017) Initiating exercise interventions to promote wellness in cancer patients and survivors. Oncology (Williston Park) 31(10):711–717

    Google Scholar 

  25. Schmitz KH, Courneya KS, Matthews C, Demark-Wahnefried W, Galvão DA, Pinto BM, Irwin ML, Wolin KY, Segal RJ, Lucia A, Schneider CM, von Gruenigen V, Schwartz AL, American College of Sports Medicine (2010) American College of Sports Medicine roundtable on exercise guidelines for cancer survivors [published correction appears in Med Sci Sports Exerc. 2011 Jan;43(1):195]. Med Sci Sports Exerc 42(7):1409–1426. https://doi.org/10.1249/MSS.0b013e3181e0c112

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Contributions

All authors were involved in the design of the study. KCC, MLS, and RSBR coordinated the study. KCC, MLS, JAR, CAMPR, and LBR performed the data analyses. LBR and RSBR drafted the manuscript. All authors critically revised the manuscript and read and approved the final manuscript.

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Rodrigo Santiago Barbosa Rocha.

Ethics declarations

Ethics approval and consent to participate

N/A

Consent for publication

All authors consented to publish this paper.

Conflict of interest

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

Additional information

Publisher’s note

Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

Supplementary Information

ESM 1

(DOCX 130 kb)

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Rendeiro, J.A., Rodrigues, C.A.M.P., de Barros Rocha, L. et al. Physical exercise and quality of life in patients with prostate cancer: systematic review and meta-analysis. Support Care Cancer 29, 4911–4919 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00520-021-06095-y

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00520-021-06095-y

Keywords

Navigation