Exercise programme eases prostate cancer treatment side effects

More than four in five men stayed with a year-long exercise programme designed to make prostate cancer treatment easier to live with.

Hormone therapy can slow cancer growth by lowering testosterone, but often brings fatigue, muscle loss, weight gain and emotional distress. The NIHR-funded STAMINA trial tested whether structured support could soften that impact.

Researchers recruited 700 men across 15 NHS hospitals. Those offered STAMINA received aerobic and resistance training, dietary advice and behavioural support at 18 Nuffield Health clubs. NHS teams referred eligible patients, while personal trainers were upskilled as clinical exercise specialists.

Compared with enhanced standard care, participants reported better quality of life and less fatigue overall. More than 80% attended scheduled sessions over 12 months. Statistical modelling placed the cost below NHS funding thresholds and suggested decade-long cost-effectiveness.

The useful lesson is that lifestyle care can sit alongside cancer treatment, not remain vague advice. But STAMINA measured side effects and modelled costs; it did not show exercise treats the cancer itself. Nuffield Health has since launched a programme, aiming to fund 50,000 places by 2030.