Associations of physical activity and sedentary time with health-related quality of life in patients with localized renal cell cancer: a cross-sectional analysis within the ReLife study.

Purpose: This study examined the associations of device-measured moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) and sedentary time as well as self-reported MVPA with health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in patients with localized renal cell cancer (RCC) in the recovery phase after surgery.

Methods: At 3 months post-surgery, 341 patients with stage I-III RCC participating in the ReLife study wore an ActivPAL3 device to determine MVPA and sedentary time. The SQUASH questionnaire was used for assessing self-reported MVPA, and the EORTC QLQ-C30 for assessing HRQoL (range 0-100). Multivariable linear regression models were used to examine the cross-sectional associations of MVPA and sedentary time with HRQoL.

Results: The highest (≥ 6.7 h/week) versus lowest (≤ 2.7 h/week) quartile of MVPA was associated with a better global health status (β, 10.2; 95% CI, 5.1, 15.3), summary score (β, 4.6; 95% CI, 1.1, 8.1), physical (β, 7.7; 95% CI, 3.8, 11.6), role (β, 12.4; 95% CI, 4.7, 20.2), and social functioning (β, 7.3; 95% CI, 0.2, 14.4), and lower fatigue (β, - 11.2; 95% CI, - 18.1, - 4.2). Results for self-reported MVPA were in the same direction but weaker. The lowest (≤ 8.8 h/day) versus highest (≥ 11.5 h/day) quartile of sedentary time was associated with better physical functioning (β, 4.6; 95% CI, 0.8, 8.5).

Conclusions: In patients with localized RCC, higher MVPA 3 months post-surgery was associated with better HRQoL outcomes including less fatigue whereas lower sedentary time was only associated with better physical functioning. This information can contribute to the development of physical activity guidelines and interventions to improve HRQoL.