Exercising 3 times a week reduces sex issues after prostate cancer
Men can improve their sex lives after prostate cancer if they do this amount of exercise each week, it’s now been found.
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An hour of exercise three times a week can significantly improve sexual dysfunction in men with prostate cancer and should be included in their cancer survivorship plans.
This discovery by Australian researchers is expected to change treatment protocols worldwide as sexual dysfunction is a common and distressing side-effect of prostate cancer treatment.
The most common cancer in Australian men, it develops when abnormal cells in the prostate gland grow, forming a malignant tumour.
The new national study published on Thursday in the journal JAMA Network Open was led by Professor Daniel Galvao, Director of the Exercise Medicine Research Institute at Edith Cowan University in Western Australia.
The team also included researchers from the Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, the University of Melbourne, the University of Queensland, University of Western Australia and the Australian Catholic University.
Professor Galvao said this was an important paper because sexual dysfunction was a major issue for men “across all treatments” of prostate cancer, many of them younger men.
He said this included the main treatments of surgery, radiation and androgen deprivation therapy.
“Sexual function will be impacted by these treatments and some people will recover, some people won’t.”
Professor Galvao said the impact was not just on men, but also their partners.
“It is an important unmet need in cancer survivorship, particularly in prostate cancer,” he said.
In the unique six month clinical study of 112 Australian men, a third underwent a supervised resistance and aerobic exercise program with additional resistance and aerobic training at home.
Another third did the exercise program plus psychosexual intervention, which is using self-management tools, and the remaining third continued with their routine cancer treatment and no intervention.
The authors found exercise significantly improved erectile function, but including the psychosexual education, albeit briefly, did not result in any additional improvements.
The men had undergone prostate cancer treatment up to 12 months before they joined the study. Professor Galvao said this early intervention was key to improved outcomes.
“The more physically active they are, the better their chance of survival,” he said.
“Data from epidemiological studies and also clear and solid evidence around treatment toxicities shows the better they have the ability to receive treatment, there are less toxicities, less side effects.”
Professor Galvao said the combination of resistance and aerobic training alleviated erectile dysfunction because it helped to preserve and build muscle.
“It has been linked with masculinity and improvements in body composition so it’s an important aspect for men with prostate cancer and aerobic training is more for cardiovascular adaptations and improvements in body fat reduction,” he said.
The team will now recommend that patients undergoing treatment for prostate cancer exercise regularly.
“Exercise is associated with survival of prostate cancer and leads to reduction in treatment toxicities. Now we have new evidence that exercise also improves erectile dysfunction so that’s another incentive,” Professor Galvao said.
“Prostate cancer, because it is a long-term disease, men often receive additional treatments later down the track so this is an important strategy to be healthy and to be looking after their musculoskeletal and cardiovascular system so they can have better outcomes.”
Next the team is examining the acute effects of exercise prior to men starting radiation therapy to see if this can help improve its efficacy and even help reduce the size of tumours.
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Originally published as Exercising 3 times a week reduces sex issues after prostate cancer
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