Yoga improves lives of prostate cancer patients

Prostate cancer patients undergoing radiation therapy can benefit from yoga, says researchers at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania.

The study led by Dr. Neha Vapiwala, found that side effects of prostate cancer–including fatigue, sexual health, and urinary incontinence–were stable throughout a course of outpatient radiation therapy among the men participating in an intensive yoga program.

“We found that a structured yoga intervention in the form of twice-weekly classes is feasible for patients during a six- to nine-week course of outpatient radiotherapy for prostate cancer,” said Vapiwala. “Our participation-rate finding alone is important because it is a caution against making assumptions about patients without proper evidence.”

Specifically, between May 2013 and June 2014, 68 eligible prostate cancer patients were identified and offered study participation, of which 45 consented (66 percent) to attend twice-weekly yoga classes of 75 minutes each, taught by trained Eischens yoga instructors within the Abramson Cancer Center.

Although 18 (40%) of these participants were voluntarily withdrawn early due to unavoidable and unanticipated conflicts between radiation treatment times and the yoga class schedule, the remainder were able to participate and the study’s feasibility endpoint was met.

Most yoga participants reported a sense of well-being at the end of each class, and upon finishing the yoga program and concluding their study involvement, many patients requested and received an at-home practice routine to fit their needs, Ben-Josef said.

The effect of yoga was measured by participants’ responses to a series of questions that assess overall quality-of-life, cancer-related fatigue, and prevalence of sexual and erectile dysfunction and urinary incontinence. The researchers chose these variables because they affect so many prostate cancer patients.

Severity of fatigue scores demonstrated significant variability over the time of treatment, with increases by week four as expected, but then improving over the course of treatment. Erectile dysfunction, urinary incontinence, and general quality of life scores demonstrated steady trends.

The full results from the feasibility study are expected to be published early 2016.

Category: Top Story, Wellness and Complementary Therapies