Benefits of Exercise in People with Prostate Cancer

Sep 17, 2022 | Angie Murad, Patient Educator | @muradangie

September raises awareness of prostate cancer which is the second most common diagnosed cancer after skin cancer, in people with a prostate. The prostate is a gland that produces fluid making up part of the semen. It is located just below the bladder in front of the rectum.

Common benefits of exercise include improving heart health, the ability to do everyday activities, and maintaining a healthy weight. Additional benefits of exercise are for people diagnosed with advanced prostate cancer. Advanced prostate cancer is defined as getting prostate cancer again, in the same place it first started, or when the cancer comes back somewhere else in the body. Exercise also benefits individuals with bone metastasis which is cancer that has spread to the bones. This group was once thought to experience adverse effects of exercise.

A recent study showed exercise can have many benefits in people with advanced prostate cancer. Benefits include improving symptoms related to advanced prostate cancer, delaying the disease progression, and may enhance the effect of chemotherapy and radiation therapy. Epidemiologic studies that study patterns of disease in certain populations, shows an association between physical activity and increased overall survival in people with advanced prostate cancer.

When diagnosed with cancer, exercise may be the last thing you think of doing but it can also help relieve stress, reduced cancer-related fatigue, and improve the overall quality of life. Learn more about how to begin including physical activity into your daily routine by going to our Cancer Education Blog Physical Activity Tab.

 

Listen to this Mayo Clinic Minute: Importance of exercise for men with prostate cancer with Dr. Mitchell Humphreys, a Mayo Clinic urologist to learn more.

 

Additional Resources:

Prostate Cancer Group

Cardio Oncology

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