Speaker
Description
Background: Androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) is a key treatment for advanced and metastatic prostate cancer (PCa), but is frequently associated with fatigue, metabolic alterations, depressive symptoms, and reduced quality of life. National and international guidelines recommend physical activity to counteract these adverse effects. Previous intervention studies have mainly focused on resistance and endurance training in individual settings. Recreational team sports, such as football, offer an appealing alternative by combining physical exercise with social interaction and psychosocial support. Preliminary evidence suggests that football training has beneficial effects on muscle mass, bone density and muscle strength in patients with PCa.
Methods: ProstaGOAL is a prospective, single-arm pilot study evaluating the feasibility of a supervised group-based football intervention for patients with histologically confirmed PCa receiving ADT. Patients with bone metastases are explicitly not excluded. Following a sports medical screening, participants will engage in a structured football training programme for six months. Assessments will be conducted at baseline, 3 months, and 6 months, including cardiopulmonary fitness testing by spiroergometry (VO2peak), as well as questionnaires assessing quality of life (EORTC QLQ-PR25, FACT-P) and physical activity levels (IPAQ-SF).
Results: The primary endpoint is feasibility, which is assessed by training adherence (a participation rate of at least 70%). The secondary endpoints include changes in physical performance and health-related quality of life. Recruitment is ongoing and the intervention is planned to start on 1 September 2026.
Conclusion: The ProstaGOAL study aims to evaluate whether recreational football is a feasible and beneficial form of exercise for patients with prostate cancer (PCa) undergoing androgen deprivation therapy (ADT). The study may provide valuable insights into innovative, socially engaging exercise interventions in the field of exercise oncology.
Keywords
prostate cancer, football, bone metastases, pilot study
| Abstract submitters declaration | yes |
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| Conflict of Interest & Ethical Approval | yes |
