Physical activity improves survival for men with localized prostate cancer

A new study from Karolinska Institutet shows that men with localized prostate cancer who engaged in higher levels of physical activity had lower rates of overall mortality and lower rates of prostate cancer-specific mortality, compared with less active counterparts. The findings are being published in the journal Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention.

Researchers analyzed data from 4,623 men in the National Prostate Cancer Register of Sweden Follow-up Study, who were diagnosed with localized prostate cancer from 1997 to 2002 and followed until 2012. Data on physical activity was obtained through paper- and web-based questionnaires about lifestyle. Information about cause and date of death were obtained from the Swedish Cause-of-Death Registry.

The results show that men with localized prostate cancer who walked or cycled for 20 or more minutes a day had a 30 percent decreased risk of death from any cause (overall mortality) and a 39 percent decreased risk of death as a result of their disease (prostate cancer-specific mortality) compared with those who walked or cycled less. For those who engaged in 1 or more hours of exercise per week, overall and prostate cancer-specific mortality rates were decreased by 26 percent and 32 percent, respectively, compared with less active counterparts.

“Our results extend the known benefits of physical activity to include prostate cancer-specific survival,” says Stephanie Bonn, MSc, a doctoral student at the Department of Medical Epidemiology and Biostatistics. “However, it is important to remember that our results are based on 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.”

The study was supported by the Swedish Cancer Society, and the Swedish Research Council for Health, Working life and Welfare, and it was headed by Katarina Bälter, PhD, Senior lecturer at the Department of Medical Epidemiology and Biostatistics.

Publication

Physical activity and survival among men diagnosed with prostate cancer
Stephanie E Bonn, Arvid Sjölander, Ylva Trolle Lagerros, Fredrik Wiklund, Pär Stattin, Erik Holmberg, Henrik Grönberg, Katarina Bälter
Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention, online 19 December 2014