Structured Treadmill Training as a Strategy to Mitigate Tumor Growth and Preserve Adipose Tissue and Muscle Strength in Prostate Tumor-Bearing Mice.

Purpose: Exercise is widely recognized for providing numerous benefits to prostate cancer (PCa) survivors. Numerous preclinical studies have investigated the role of exercise on tumor progression, but results are often controversial, largely due to variations in experimental protocols.

Methods: In this study, the comprehensive effects of exercise on PCa were evaluated with two different aerobic exercises, forced and structured exercise training (ET) on treadmill, and voluntary wheel running (VWR). Human PCa PPC-1 cells or PBS was injected into athymic nude mice, randomized into four groups: healthy, cancer control (CaCTL), cancer with exercise training (CaET), and cancer with voluntary wheel running (CaVWR).

Results: ET significantly reduced tumor growth (290.38 ± 75.43 mm 3 ) compared with CaCTL mice (374.84 ± 86.15 mm 3 , P = 0.0227). ET also regulated plasma IL-6 concentration, protected against cancer-induced adipose tissue loss (CaCTL = 171.21 ± 86.73 mg, CaET = 341.71 ± 137.24 mg; P = 0.0295) and preserved strength (CaCTL = 126.53 ± 6.68 g, CaET = 137.32 ± 6.39 g; P = 0.0018). However, ET did not protect against cancer-induced muscle mass loss (CaCTL = 175.06 ± 18.07 mg, CaET = 181.41 ± 14.59 mg). In contrast, VWR did not provide similar benefits on the assessed cancer-related outcomes, aside from preserving muscle strength (CaCTL = 126.53 ± 6.68 g, CaVWR = 134.59 ± 7.01 g; P = 0.0204).

Conclusions: ET represented an effective strategy against PCa by limiting tumor growth, but also by mitigating inflammation and adipose tissue loss and preserving muscle strength, whereas VWR only provided limited benefits. The exercise parameters are emerging as a critical factor in combating PCa, warranting further investigation.