Study Examines the Benefits of Exercising for Prostate Cancer Patients

Can exercising the easy way by making a few lifestyle changes - climbing stairs rather than taking the elevator and using a push lawn mower instead of a riding mower - improve quality of life in some prostate cancer patients?

This is the question investigators at The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center will examine with $685,000 in funding from the American Cancer Society.

Researchers in the division of cancer prevention are recruiting subjects for this three-year study titled, A Physical Activity Quality of Life Intervention in Androgen-Ablated Prostate Cancer Patients.

"We want to determine whether a healthy lifestyle change, namely increased physical activity, can lead to better symptom management and an overall feeling of well-being in these patients, in hopes that they will incorporate these changes on a permanent basis," says Dr. Ellen R. Gritz, principal investigator for the project and chair of the department of behavioral science.

Androgen-ablation therapy is a type of hormone therapy used for men whose disease has spread following unsuccessful initial treatment. This hormonal therapy may result in fatigue, muscle weakness, weight gain or change in weight distribution and decline in bone mass. Exercise is known to improve physical fitness and to help reduce a number of these symptoms, as well as reduce levels of stress and depression, which many cancer patients experience.

This type of approach to exercise involves making physical activity a lifestyle habit, compared to participating in a structured exercise regimen. A lifestyle-based program may be more appealing to elderly individuals, as well as to those who suffer from a chronic illness, according to Dr. Gritz.

"Incorporating moderate physical activity into their daily lives may serve as a bridge to improved mood and may be more appealing to men than standard psychological group therapy, used by many for dealing with depression," says researcher Dr. Cindy Carmack, clinical psychologist in the department of behavioral science.

Patients will be recruited from M. D. Anderson's genitourinary medical oncology, urology and endocrinology clinics. Participants are asked to complete several questionnaires and other measures during the study to assess quality of life, including levels of depression, anxiety and physical functioning.

The six-month program consists of behavioral skills training that teaches participants to incorporate physical activity into their daily lives. These sessions, which spouses may attend, also will include discussion of a number of issues prostate cancer patients face, including effects of treatment and changes in sexuality associated with aging.

This study was one of 39 recent American Cancer Society grants to M. D. Anderson, totaling $5.5 million. This grant also was one of only two awarded nationwide on the topic of quality of life in prostate cancer patients, which the American Cancer Society had requested that researchers study.

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©2006 Texas Medical Center

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