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Exercise is Prostate Cancer RadioProtector
Exercise is Prostate Cancer RadioProtector, meaning that men undergoing radiation for prostate cancer treatment can reduce the damage to their bodies by exercising, according to the research below.
According to research, approximately half of all prostate cancer patients undergo radiation. Common side effects from radiation are fatigue, urinary incontinence and bowel problems.
In addition to exercise, helping to prevent radiation-induced side effects, hyperbaric oxygen therapy has been shown to heal radiation-induced side effects.
How Can Exercises Improve Radiation Tolerance And Recovery?
I am a long-term survivor of an incurable blood cancer called multiple myeloma. I underwent local radiation several times to treat my own cancer. I have firsthand experiences with short-term and long-term side effects from radiation therapy.
Are you a newly diagnosed prostate cancer patient considering radiation therapy? Are you a prostate cancer survivor who has experience with radiation-induced side effects? Scroll down the page, post a question or comment and I will reply to you ASAP.
Thank you,
David Emerson
- Cancer Survivor
- Cancer Coach
- Director PeopleBeatingCancer
Researchers Explore Exercise, Exerkines as Next-Generation Radioprotectors
External beam radiation therapy remains a mainstay of cancer treatment, but its therapeutic doses and efficacy are limited by off-target irradiation of healthy tissues and resulting toxicities. Radiotoxicities persist despite technological advances to reduce irradiation of nontarget tissues, like conformal or intensity-modulated radiotherapy(IMRT)…
Amifostine is the only FDA-approved radioprotector to date but clinical use is limited by high-grade nausea, vomiting, hypotension, and allergic responses; research on newer agents, including an amifostine derivative, is ongoing.2,3
But preclinical and early clinical studies published over recent years point to another approach that might resolve this radiotoxicity paradox: physical exercise.4-8
These studies indicate that physical activity is safe during cancer radiotherapy and may protect against some forms of radiation-induced damage to tissues and organs by increasing antioxidant activity, enhancing DNA repair capacity, and reducing inflammation — potentially yielding clinical benefits such as fatigue reduction and enhanced physical capacity.4-8 Exercise might also increase tumor radiosensitivity by reducing tumor hypoxia through increased blood flow and oxygen delivery to tumor tissue, although these preclinical findings need to be confirmed in randomized clinical trials.9,10 ….
For example, in a systematic review of findings from 22 preclinical and clinical studies, exercise was shown to decrease DNA damage and increase DNA repair activity in healthy tissues, and to protect against radiotherapy-associated decline in bone mineral density and cognitive decline.6
A separate meta-analysis of data pooled from 6 well-designed, randomized, controlled trials representing 391 patients with stage I to IV prostate cancer showed that exercise was associated with significantly reduced urinary (but not intestinal or sleep-related) radiotoxicities (standardized mean difference,−0.71; 95% CI, −1.25 to −0.18; P <.01).8 Exercise between radiotherapy appointments also offered significant benefits in cardiovascular and muscle function (P <.01 for each association).8..
A recently published feasibility trial (NCT05156424) of 24 patients with prostate cancer treated with androgen deprivation and radiotherapy found that aerobic and resistance exercise is safe, and suggested that quality of life, physical functional fitness outcomes, and hematologic markers such as improved red blood cell count are modulated by exercise.13 …
Exercise is Prostate Cancer RadioProtector Exercise is Prostate Cancer RadioProtector