“Eat right and exercise”. As a prostate cancer provider, I can’t count how many times I have given this advice to my patients. I am always afraid when they ask back, “Will it actually help”? The truth is, we don’t know. While increasing data suggest that diet and exercise may modulate prostate cancer risk and even progression in some studies, the totality of the evidence remains weak. Into this void, steps an important paper exploring the role of physical activity (i.e. exercise) and its link with lower rates of progression in men on active surveillance.
In this study, the authors assessed 85 men with low-risk prostate cancer being managed by active surveillance. All men completed a physical activity questionnaire at baseline and were categorized as sedentary (n=24), moderately active (n=46), or active (n=15). The authors then assessed the risk of grade reclassification, commonly used criteria for “progression” among men on active surveillance. The authors found that those who progressed were less physically active (p=0.056). Importantly, over time, the level of physical activity was significantly predictive of who progressed (p=0.033). Indeed, on multivariable analysis, the level of physical activity was the only significant predictor of progression (p=0.016). The authors concluded that physical activity may influence prostate cancer evolution.