Study to evaluate efficacy of exercise training for prostate cancer treatment

Exercise training could be introduced as a new NHS treatment for prostate cancer based on the results of a new study assessing the efficacy of this intervention.

The PANTERA study, led by Sheffield Hallam University and backed by Cancer Research UK, will enroll 50 men whose prostate cancer has not yet spread to see whether regular exercise can be beneficial for them.

Half of the men will carry out two-and-a-half hours of aerobic exercise every week for 12 months, with the other half to be given information about the benefits of exercise, but with no supervised sessions.

This trial is believed to be the first of its kind in the world and could lay the groundwork for a larger-scale study to see whether this approach could be considered a viable NHS treatment.

Study leader Dr Liam Bourke, principal research fellow at Sheffield Hallam University, said: "It builds on what we already know and is the first step towards finding out whether exercise could be an effective and practical NHS treatment for localised prostate cancer."

In the UK, prostate cancer is the most common cancer in men, with around 43,400 new cases diagnosed each year.