SUPERvised three-month exercise program in MEN with Prostate cAncer Receiving androgen-deprivaTioN thERapy

Past decades, the incidence of prostate cancer has more than tripled with a
prevalence of nearly 90.000 men in the Netherlands. Fifteen percent is
primarily diagnosed with advanced prostate cancer. Androgen Deprivation Therapy
(ADT) is the cornerstone treatment for these patients. However, treatment
exposes patients to a host of important adverse effects such as loss of quality
of life, loss of physical fitness, decrease in muscle and bone mass and
psychological complaints. In addition, patients experience direct negative
effects of the bone metastasis such as fatigue, (bone) pain, hypercalcaemia and
pathological fractures. In patients with localized prostate disease, a
structured, supervised training program is an effective and safe method to
improve quality of life and physical functioning. In vivo research suggests
that physical activity may slow progression of osseous metastatic disease.
Therefore, a structural training program is seen as potentially effective and
meaningful adjuvant therapy in patients with metastatic prostate carcinoma with
an improvement in physical fitness, disease-related quality of life and an
increase in muscle and bone mass.

To examine the impact of a supervised training program on disease-related
quality of life and physical fitness in patient with advanced prostate cancer
compared to usual care.

Patients will be recruited by invitation of their cancer specialist (urologist)
who will provide clinically eligible patients with a study information sheet
and refer these patients to a study coordinator (sport physician).

In a single blinded (investigators blinded to group allocation) randomized
controlled pilot, conducted in the CWZ, 20 patients with advanced prostate
cancer will be randomized across: 1) supervised training program for twelve
weeks + usual care, or 2) usual care.

Supervised training program: The training program will be set at the hospital
under the supervision of a physiotherapist. The intervention will consist of
combined aerobic and resistance training twice a week for 3 months (12 weeks).
In addition, patients are advised to walk or cycle for at least half an hour a
day.

It will be a burden in particular in terms of time. Patients must come to the
hospital twice a week for a supervised exercise. It has already been shown in
the literature that this patient population can safely participate in
physiotherapy.