University of Guelph-Humber

Radical prostatectomy is a common and effective treatment for prostate cancer but is associated with urinary incontinence that can persist for several months after surgery and significantly reduce quality of life. Studies have shown that routine performance of pelvic floor exercises after radical prostatectomy can aid in the recovery of urinary control; however, conventional pelvic floor exercises do not produce consistent results. Research indicates that incorporating other deep abdominal muscles can further activate the pelvic floor making it stronger than by activating the pelvic floor alone. Specifically, 'Pfilates' and 'Hypopressives' are two new techniques that combine traditional pelvic floor exercises with activation of supportive muscles. Our proposed study will be the first to test the effect of an advanced pelvic floor exercise training program that includes Pfilates and Hypopressives to treat urinary incontinence following radical prostatectomy. Our primary aim of this study is to assess the feasibility of conducting a full-scale RCT of an advanced pelvic floor exercise training program, including standard pelvic floor exercises, Pfilates, and Hypopressives techniques on urinary incontinence. Feasibility will be determined by measuring recruitment success, retention, outcome capture, and intervention adherence, tolerance, and safety. We hypothesize men under going radical prostatectomy for prostate cancer in the advance pelvic floor training program will report greater improvement in urinary incontinence and health-related quality of life.

Radical prostatectomy is the most common and effective treatment for localized prostate cancer. Unfortunately, radical prostatectomy is associated with significant adverse effects, such as urinary incontinence, sexual dysfunction, and reduced physical function that collectively diminish health-related quality of life which may persist for up to two years postoperatively. The primary objective of this trial is to assess the feasibility of conducting of a multi-site randomized controlled trial to test the effect of a comprehensive prehabilitation program versus standard care for men with prostate cancer undergoing radical prostatectomy. We hypothesize that men with prostate cancer undergoing radical prostatectomy in the comprehensive prehabilitation program (full-body exercises and pelvic floor muscle exercises) will report better health-related quality of life, urological symptoms, and physical fitness, physical activity, and pain, as well as a shorter postoperative length of stay than participants receiving standard preoperative care (pelvic floor muscle exercises alone). Our secondary objective is to report estimates of efficacy on several clinically important outcomes for this population that will be used for sample size calculations in an adequately powered trial.

In Canadian men, prostate cancer (PCa) is the most prevalent form of cancer and the third leading cause of cancer-related death. Unfortunately, PCa survivors are often burdened with feelings of anxiety and depression associated with the disease and associated treatments. Short-term exercise interventions (8-24 weeks) have improved psychosocial well-being in this population, but the impact of single bouts of exercise and related psychological or neurological changes have never been studied. The primary objective of the proposed study is to examine the effect of an acute bout of exercise on neurophysiological and psychological indicators of well-being in a randomized controlled trial (RCT) of 36 men with PCa. Participants will be randomly assigned to the intervention (60 min exercise) or control (60 min of television) and will undergo a brief neurological test (cortical silent period) and psychological questionnaires before and after their group assignment.