Influence of Physical Activity on Active Surveillance Discontinuation in Men with Low-risk Prostate Cancer

Epidemiologic data suggest that high levels of physical activity (PA) may reduce the risk of disease progression in men with prostate cancer (PCa), but it is unknown whether PA can delay the requirement for definitive treatment for those on active surveillance (AS).

We investigated the influence of PA post-diagnosis on AS discontinuation in men with low-risk disease.

The effect of PA on the time to AS discontinuation was assessed in 421 patients, of whom 107 underwent additional PCa treatment over a median of 2.5 years.

Using Cox regression models, we found that PA was not significantly associated with time to curative treatment initiation. Prostate-specific antigen (PSA) most proximal to AS initiation (HR, 1.11; 95% CI 1.03 to 1.21) and the number of positive cores (HR, 1.34; 95% CI 1.12 to 1.61) at diagnosis were associated with a significantly increased risk of discontinuing AS.

Our findings suggest that PA during AS for PCa does not significantly influence time to curative treatment.

Cancer causes & control : CCC. 2019 Jul 15 [Epub ahead of print]

Efthymios Papadopoulos, Shabbir M H Alibhai, George A Tomlinson, Andrew G Matthew, Michael Nesbitt, Antonio Finelli, John Trachtenberg, Daniel Santa Mina

Faculty of Kinesiology and Physical Education, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada. ., Department of Supportive Care, Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, Toronto, ON, Canada., Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada., Division of Urology, Department of Surgical Oncology, Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, Toronto, ON, Canada., Faculty of Kinesiology and Physical Education, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada.