Physical activity, sedentary behavior, and health-related quality of life in prostate cancer survivors in the health professionals follow-up study

Purpose: Many prostate cancer survivors experience compromised health-related quality of life (HRQOL) as a result of prostate cancer. We examined relationships between types and intensities of activity and sedentary behavior and prostate cancer-related HRQOL, overall, and by demographic, disease, and treatment characteristics. Methods: Associations between post-diagnosis activity and sedentary behavior and HRQOL domains (urinary incontinence, urinary irritation/obstruction, bowel, sexual, and vitality/hormonal) were prospectively examined in men diagnosed with non-metastatic prostate cancer in the Health Professionals Follow-up Study (n = 1917) using generalized linear models. Results: After adjusting for potential confounders, higher duration of total, non-vigorous, and walking activity was associated with higher vitality/hormonal functioning scores (p-trends, <0.0001). Effects were small (d = 0.16–0.20) but approached clinical significance for men in the highest vs. lowest activity categories. Survivors who walked ≥90 min/week at a normal pace, or faster, reported higher hormone/vitality scores (p = 0.001) than men walking <90 min at an easy pace. Weightlifting was associated with increased urinary incontinence (p-trend, 0.02). Total activity was associated with higher hormone/vitality functioning in men who were ≥5 years post-treatment, had more advanced disease (Gleason score ≥7), and had ≥1 comorbid condition. No relationships were observed between vigorous activity or sedentary behavior and HRQOL. Conclusions: Increased duration of non-vigorous activity and walking post-diagnosis was positively associated with better hormone/vitality functioning. Specifically, engaging in ≥5 h of non-vigorous activity or ≥3 h of walking per week may be beneficial. Implications for Cancer Survivors: Encouraging men to engage in non-vigorous activity and walking may be helpful for managing prostate cancer-related HRQOL.