| There is an increasing body of research evidence to | | | | the extra step of conducting 7-day physical activity |
| suggest that many cases of cancer can be prevented | | | | evaluations to verify that the study's participants |
| through lifestyle and diet modifications. Indeed, even | | | | actually engaged in the levels of physically activity that |
| conservative estimates suggest that more than 60 | | | | they claimed on the questionnaires. (This additional |
| percent of new cancer cases could be prevented | | | | validation step confirmed the accuracy of the |
| simply by abstaining from unhealthy lifestyle and | | | | questionnaire information supplied by the study's |
| dietary habits. (More enthusiastic cancer prevention | | | | volunteers.) The incidence of prostate cancer, and the |
| experts have suggested that 80 percent of cancer | | | | death rate associated with prostate cancer, among |
| cases, or more, might be preventable with rigorous | | | | these 45,887 middle-aged and elderly men were then |
| lifestyle and diet changes.) Given that, in the best case, | | | | analyzed at the conclusion of this very large |
| modern cancer treatment results in the long-term | | | | prospective epidemiological study. |
| survival of only about 60 percent of all cancer patients, | | | | When the men who engaged in physical activity at the |
| and that the survival rate for many of the most lethal | | | | highest levels were compared with those at the |
| cancers still remains far more dismal, an ounce of | | | | lowest levels, some very important differences in |
| cancer prevention is certainly worth much more than a | | | | prostate cancer risk emerged. Overall, very high levels |
| pound of cancer cure. | | | | of physical activity were associated with a 16 percent |
| As a practicing comprehensive Surgical Oncologist, I | | | | reduction in the risk of developing prostate cancer. |
| routinely treat patients with highly lethal cancers, many | | | | Additionally, among the men who spent at least half of |
| of which are, sadly, incurable by the time they are | | | | their work days being physically active, the risk of |
| diagnosed. While not every case of cancer can be | | | | prostate cancer was 20 percent lower when |
| prevented through lifestyle and diet modification, many | | | | compared to men who spent most of their work day |
| of the terrible, and ultimately fatal, cancer cases that I | | | | sitting down. Specifically, and very importantly, there |
| routinely see might have been prevented with | | | | appeared to be a linear and progressive decrease in |
| reasonably moderate alterations in the way that | | | | prostate cancer risk with each additional 30 minutes of |
| people choose to live their daily lives. | | | | walking or bicycling per day over the course of the |
| Prostate cancer is the most common non-skin cancer | | | | adult lifetimes of these men (this linear relationship was |
| that occurs in men, and the second most common | | | | noted within a range of 30 to 120 minutes of walking |
| cause of cancer death in men. In 2009, an estimated | | | | or bicycling per day). Additionally, the risk of developing |
| 192,000 new cases of prostate cancer will be | | | | advanced prostate cancer appeared to be further |
| diagnosed, and approximately 27,000 men will die of | | | | lessened by regular daily physical activity. |
| this disease. Prostate cancer currently afflicts 1 out of | | | | The results of this study mirror those of other |
| every 6 American men during their lifetimes, and | | | | high-quality cancer prevention studies for other types |
| accounts for 25 percent of all cancer diagnoses in | | | | of cancer (including, most notably, breast cancer). While |
| men (similar, I might add, to the percentage of breast | | | | clinical research studies such as this one are prone to |
| cancer cases among all cancer cases diagnosed in | | | | various forms of bias, and in particular, biases that arise |
| women). Most prostate cancers are stimulated to | | | | from patients "self-reporting" their personal health and |
| grow and spread by testosterone and other | | | | lifestyle information on study questionnaires, the |
| androgens produced by the testes, and by other | | | | authors of this study appear to have taken very |
| tissues in the body. | | | | significant and effective steps to reduce the risk of |
| The relationship between prostate cancer risk and | | | | including such biases in the data that they collected |
| exercise has not been entirely clear, thus far, as | | | | from these nearly 46,000 men. Therefore, although a |
| various clinical studies have produced contradictory | | | | small degree of residual error cannot be completely |
| findings. Some of these studies have suggested that | | | | excluded from the results of this impressive |
| high levels of daily physical activity may reduce the risk | | | | epidemiological study, its findings that progressively |
| of prostate cancer, while other studies have not | | | | higher levels of daily physical activity (and, it must be |
| confirmed a link between prostate cancer risk and | | | | stressed, throughout one's lifetime) are associated with |
| physical activity levels. | | | | a decreasing level of prostate cancer risk are very |
| A new prospective public health study, just published in | | | | likely to be valid even in the presence of small errors in |
| the British Journal of Cancer, adds further important | | | | the study's data (if they exist). |
| evidence that increased levels of physical activity may | | | | Cardiovascular disease remains the most common |
| indeed reduce the risk of developing prostate cancer. | | | | cause of premature death in most societies. Cancer is |
| In this newly published study, nearly 46,000 men | | | | the number two cause of premature death when |
| between the ages of 45 and 70 years were | | | | including people of all ages, and the number one cause |
| prospectively followed between 1998 and 2007. All of | | | | of premature death below the age of 80 in the United |
| these male volunteers completed extensive | | | | States. Regular exercise, including relatively moderate |
| questionnaires regarding their daily levels of physical | | | | activities such as brisk walking or bicycling, have been |
| activities at 30 years of age and at 50 years of age, | | | | shown to significantly reduce the risk of death due to |
| as well as at the time or their entry into this clinical | | | | cardiovascular disease, as well as, increasingly, the risk |
| study. These questionnaires specifically included | | | | of developing or dying from multiple different types of |
| questions regarding walking or bicycling; current waist, | | | | cancer. Based upon the results of this well designed |
| hip and height measurements; education level; cigarette | | | | and well executed prospective clinical research study, |
| smoking; alcohol consumption; diabetes; family history | | | | it would appear that prostate cancer can be added to |
| of prostate cancer; and other lifestyle factors. Six | | | | the list of life-threatening illnesses for which the risk can |
| predefined activity levels for occupational activity (from | | | | be decreased through regular and frequent physical |
| "mostly sitting down" to "heavy manual labor"), and | | | | activity (and both at work and at home). |
| additional predefined categories for time spent on | | | | ____ |
| different activities, were specifically included in the | | | | Disclaimer: As always, my advice to readers is to |
| questionnaire, such as walking or bicycling ("hardly | | | | seek the advice of your physician before making any |
| ever" to "more than 90 min per day"), home or | | | | significant changes in medications, diet, or level of |
| household work ("less than 1 hour per day" to "more | | | | physical activity |
| than 8 hours per day"), inactive leisure time ("from 2 | | | | ____ |
| hours per day or less" to "5 hours per day or more"), | | | | Dr. Wascher is an oncologic surgeon, a professor of |
| and active leisure-time exercising ("from less than 1 | | | | surgery, a cancer researcher, an oncology consultant, |
| hour per week" to "more than 5 hours per week"). The | | | | and a widely published author |
| patient volunteers were also queried regarding the | | | | ___ |
| average number of hours per day they spent sleeping. | | | | Copyright 2007 - 2009 |
| Importantly, the researchers conducting this study took | | | | Robert A. |