Physical activity helps fight prostate cancer

Physical activity helps fight prostate cancer

Physical activity like walking and biking helps men with prostate cancer, according to a new study in the Journal of Clinical Oncology.

The study led by Stacey A. Kenfield of the Harvard School of Public Health and colleagues found men with prostate cancer who were physically active before and after diagnosis were at lower risk of dying from all causes and prostate cancer.

For the study of 2705 men who lived at least four years after diagnosis, Kenfield et al. analysed physical activity in relation to the risk of death from prostate cancer and all causes. 

Both vigorous activity and nonvigorous activity were correlated with significantly reduced death risk from all causes.

Men who walked more than 90 minutes a week at a normal to very brisk pace were 46 percent less likely to die from all causes compared with those who walked for a shorter duration at a slower pace.  

Similarly, men with more than three hours per week of vigorous physical activity were 49 and 61 percent less likely to die from all causes and prostate cancer, respectively, compared with those with less than one hour of activity.

Brisk walking seemed to cut the risk of prostate-cancer specific deaths, but the association was not statistically insignificant.

The researchers concluded that men who engaged in physical activity were less likely to die from all causes and prostate cancer and three hours of moderate physical activity such as biking, tennis, swimming or jogging for greater than three hours per week significantly improved prostate-cancer specific survival.

By David Liu