Canfit EP
14 Sept 2026
The Scale of the Problem in Australia
Prostate cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer in Australia, with an estimated 28,868 men likely to be diagnosed in 2025, accounting for 17% of all newly diagnosed cancers. Deaths from prostate cancer have risen by around 30% since 2007, with nearly 4,000 men estimated to die from this disease in 2025 — that's over 11 men a day.
However, 96% of men diagnosed with prostate cancer will survive for at least five years, and 91% will live more than ten years. Over 290,000 Australian men are alive today after being diagnosed with prostate cancer at some point in the past 37 years. This large and growing survivorship population makes long-term health management — including exercise — a critical part of the clinical picture.
Early detection and diagnosis are key to increasing the chance of surviving prostate cancer. Over 98% of men with early-stage prostate cancer will be alive five years after diagnosis. This drops to around 36% for men diagnosed with late-stage cancer. This September, encouraging the men in your life to speak with their GP about prostate health could be lifesaving.
What the Latest Research Shows: Exercise and Survival
The evidence linking post-diagnosis physical activity to improved prostate cancer outcomes has strengthened considerably in 2024 and 2025.
A landmark study published in the British Journal of Cancer (2025) followed 245 prostate cancer patients treated with surgery. Those who engaged in any post-diagnosis vigorous physical activity were approximately 60% less likely to have a recurrence, progression, second cancer, or death compared to those who did not engage in any vigorous physical activity. The researchers proposed that surgery elicits a stress response and causes complications that can promote postoperative metastatic spread by activating dormant cancer cells — and that exercise may play a particularly important protective role by counteracting this process.¹
A comprehensive 2025 meta-analysis examining post-diagnosis physical activity across cancer types confirmed that higher post-diagnosis physical activity was associated with a lower risk of prostate cancer-specific mortality, with results underscoring the potential for incorporating structured physical activity interventions into oncological care to improve long-term patient outcomes.²
A separate 2025 study published in the European Journal of Epidemiology examined physical activity alongside dietary factors in men with nonmetastatic prostate cancer and further confirmed a meaningful survival benefit associated with regular post-diagnosis movement.³
Importantly, in prostate cancer, exercise has been demonstrated to improve cardiorespiratory fitness, strength, and body composition, as well as to mitigate several treatment-related adverse events, including fatigue, cardiovascular impairments, and peripheral neuropathy — overall enhancing quality of life.
Androgen Deprivation Therapy and Why Exercise Is Especially Critical
Androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) is one of the most widely used treatments for advanced prostate cancer, and its side effects present a significant clinical challenge. ADT causes loss of bone mineral density and skeletal muscle mass, alteration of body composition, and cognitive function, which altogether lead to increased risk of accidental falls and fractures. ADT also causes an increase in cardiovascular disease and metabolic syndrome risk.
A 2025 study published in the Journal of Cachexia, Sarcopenia and Muscle examined 681 prostate cancer patients undergoing ADT and radiotherapy. ADT-induced muscle loss and increased subcutaneous adipose tissue were associated with an increased risk of major adverse cardiovascular events — highlighting the critical need to monitor and address body composition changes in these patients. In other words, the physical changes caused by ADT are not merely cosmetic — they directly predict cardiovascular risk and long-term health outcomes.
Exercise directly counteracts each of these effects. A systematic review and meta-analysis published in PLOS ONE examined 12 randomised controlled trials involving 715 prostate cancer patients on ADT. Relative to the control group, exercise intervention provided significantly higher lean body mass, lower body fat mass, and lower body fat rate. Importantly, the review found that exercise programmes of six months or longer, and those commenced immediately after ADT began, produced the greatest results — reinforcing the value of starting exercise early in the treatment journey.
A landmark network meta-analysis published in Frontiers in Oncology (2026) examined the impact of different exercise modalities on health-related quality of life in prostate cancer patients undergoing ADT and confirmed that combined aerobic and resistance exercise produced the most comprehensive benefits across physical, emotional, and functional domains.⁴
How Exercise Fights Prostate Cancer at a Biological Level
Beyond managing treatment side effects, exercise appears to act against cancer cells directly. A 2025 laboratory study published in a peer-reviewed journal used a three-dimensional cell model to evaluate the effects of running sessions on prostate cancer cell behaviour. Running session-conditioned human serum lowered prostate cancer cell spheroid formation, suggesting that exercise-induced changes in the blood environment may directly suppress tumour-forming behaviour in prostate cancer cells. While this research is at an early stage, it adds an exciting mechanistic dimension to the growing case for exercise as an oncological treatment.
What Type of Exercise Is Most Effective?
Based on current evidence, prostate cancer survivors benefit from a combination of the following:
Resistance training: At least two sessions per week to preserve muscle mass and bone mineral density — both directly compromised by ADT. Resistance exercise has been shown to reverse muscle loss in men undergoing androgen suppression therapy
Aerobic exercise: At least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity activity per week to protect cardiovascular health, manage weight, and improve cardiorespiratory fitness
Vigorous activity: Where medically appropriate, the British Journal of Cancer (2025) findings suggest vigorous exercise may offer the greatest reduction in recurrence and mortality risk¹
Early commencement: Evidence consistently supports beginning exercise during treatment rather than waiting until after completion — both for managing side effects and for maximising protective benefit
Combined programmes: A combined aerobic and resistance approach delivers the most comprehensive benefit across physical and quality-of-life outcomes.
The Role of the Accredited Exercise Physiologist
Exercise prescription for prostate cancer survivors — particularly those on ADT — requires specialist clinical knowledge. Individual factors including treatment type, bone density status, cardiovascular risk, fatigue levels, and current fitness must all be carefully assessed before a programme is designed and progressed.
Accredited Exercise Physiologists (AEPs) are university-trained health professionals with the specific clinical skills to deliver safe, evidence-based exercise programmes for people living with and beyond cancer. At Canfit Exercise Physiology, every programme is individually designed, regularly reviewed, and grounded in the latest peer-reviewed research.
This Prostate Cancer Awareness Month, encourage the men in your life to take their health seriously — starting with a conversation with their GP.
Keywords: prostate cancer, exercise physiology, androgen deprivation therapy, cancer survivorship, exercise oncology, Central Coast NSW, accredited exercise physiologist
References
An KY, Jeon JY, Arthuso FZ, Wang Q, Friedenreich CM, Courneya KS. Postdiagnosis physical activity is associated with improved survival in prostate cancer patients treated with surgery but not with radiation therapy. Br J Cancer. 133(7):1029–1037 (2025). doi: 10.1038/s41416-025-03123-0
Post-diagnosis physical activity in relation to mortality among cancer survivors: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Cancer Causes & Control (2025). doi: 10.1007/s10552-026-02197-2
Lee DH, Rezende LFM, Ferrari G et al. Postdiagnosis physical activity and dietary inflammatory and insulinemic potential with overall survival in men with nonmetastatic prostate cancer. Eur J Epidemiol. 40(6):669–679 (2025).
Li W et al. The impact of different exercise modalities on health-related quality of life in patients with prostate cancer undergoing androgen deprivation therapy: a systematic review and network meta-analysis. Front Oncol. (2026). doi: 10.3389/fonc.2026.1821735
Shao W et al. The effects of exercise on body composition of prostate cancer patients receiving androgen deprivation therapy: an updated systematic review and meta-analysis. PLOS ONE. e0263918 (2022). doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0263918
Lee J et al. Androgen deprivation therapy-induced muscle loss and fat gain predict cardiovascular events in prostate cancer patients. J Cachexia Sarcopenia Muscle. (2025). doi: 10.1002/jcsm.13844
Prostate Cancer Foundation of Australia. Facts & Figures. prostate.org.au (2025). Sourced from Australian Institute of Health and Welfare data.