Yoga for Prostate Cancer Patients

According to the American Cancer Society, about one man in eight will be diagnosed with prostate cancer during his lifetime, with six in 10 of these cases in men 65 years and older. Non-Hispanic Black men have a 75 percent higher risk and are twice as likely to die from prostate cancer than white men, with genetics accounting for some of these disparities.

Researchers from The University of Texas Health Sciences Center at San Antonio evaluated the impact of yoga on quality of life, as well as on immune and inflammatory responses. Published in the Journal of Urology, the study included 30 men with cancer that were scheduled for radical prostate removal. Half of the patients performed 60 minutes of yoga twice a week for six weeks before surgery and for three to six weeks after surgery. The other patients received standard care.

The group that performed yoga reported higher quality-of-life scores, including reduced fatigue and improvements in physical, sexual, functional and social well-being. Based on blood samples, the scientists also found that yoga promoted an anti-tumor immune response and reduced inflammatory cytokine levels.