- Design
- Multicentre randomised trial, open label
- Population
- 700 men on androgen deprivation therapy for prostate cancer
- Primary outcome
- FACT-P quality of life and FACIT-F fatigue at 12 months
- Effect
- FACT-P +4.5 (1.7–7.2); FACIT-F +1.9 (0.4–3.4)
STAMINA randomised 700 men on androgen deprivation therapy for prostate cancer, median age 72, across 15 NHS trusts in England. The intervention was 12 months of supervised aerobic and resistance exercise with dietary advice, behavioural support and gym membership. The comparator was optimised usual care, including clinician training, education and prompts to exercise. Participants knew their allocation.
At 12 months the intervention improved prostate cancer quality of life on the FACT-P scale (adjusted mean difference 4.5 points, CI 1.7–7.2) and fatigue on the FACIT-F scale (1.9 points, 0.4–3.4). Three intervention-related serious adverse events occurred, all with recovery.
Guidelines already recommend exercise for men on androgen deprivation, but it is rarely provided. STAMINA shows a supervised programme can be embedded in routine services. The quality-of-life gain is modest but meaningful, and the comparator was already better than typical care.
- Refer men starting androgen deprivation therapy to supervised aerobic and resistance exercise where available.
- Combine exercise with dietary advice to address weight gain and metabolic effects.
- Check cardiovascular fitness to exercise before starting a programme.
- Revisit adherence at each review, since benefit depends on continued participation.
Why it matters
Exercise on androgen deprivation is recommended everywhere and delivered almost nowhere.
Don't overread it
The trial was unblinded with self-reported outcomes, and 97% of participants were White.
The statistics, in plain English
A 4.5-point FACT-P gain is around the threshold usually considered clinically noticeable. The unusual 97.2% interval reflects adjustment for testing two primary outcomes.
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