Walking pace significantly correlated with reduced risk of progression, independent of duration
WEDNESDAY, May 25 (HealthDay News) -- Brisk walking may help slow disease progression in men diagnosed with clinically localized prostate cancer, according to a study published online May 24 in Cancer Research.
Erin L. Richman, Ph.D., from the Harvard School of Public Health in Boston, and colleagues assessed the effect of vigorous activity and brisk walking after diagnosis on the risk of prostate cancer progression in 1,455 men with clinically localized prostate cancer. The type and duration of physical activity: vigorous, nonvigorous, walking duration, and walking pace, and the risk of prostate cancer progression were evaluated.
The investigators identified 117 progression events during 2,750 person-years. Nearly half of all the activity was walking. Men who walked briskly for three or more hours per week had a significantly reduced rate of progression compared to those who walked at a slower pace for less than three hours a week (hazard ratio [HR], 0.43). Walking pace was significantly correlated with a reduced risk of cancer progression, independent of walking duration (HR for brisk versus easy pace, 0.52). A suggestive inverse relationship was seen for those few patients who performed vigorous activity. There was no correlation between walking duration independent of pace or total nonvigorous activity and the risk of progression.
"We observed a statistically significant inverse association between brisk walking after diagnosis and risk of prostate cancer progression in men diagnosed with clinically localized prostate cancer," the authors write.
The study was partially supported by Abbott Labs.
Abstract
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