Resistance Exercise Counteracts the Impact of Androgen Deprivation Therapy on Muscle Characteristics in Cancer Patients

CONTEXT: Androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) forms the cornerstone in prostate cancer (PCa) treatment. However, ADT also lowers skeletal muscle mass. OBJECTIVE: To identify the impact of ADT with and without resistance exercise training on muscle fiber characteristics in PCa patients. METHODS: Twenty-one PCa patients (72 ± 6 years) starting ADT were included. Tissue samples from the vastus lateralis muscle were assessed at baseline and after 20 weeks of usual care (n = 11) or resistance exercise training (n = 10). Type I and II muscle fiber distribution, fiber size, and myonuclear and capillary contents were determined by immunohistochemistry. RESULTS: Significant decreases in type I (from 7401 ± 1183 to 6489 ± 1293 μm(2), P < .05) and type II (from 6225 ± 1503 to 5014 ± 714 μm(2), P < .05) muscle fiber size were observed in the usual care group. In addition, type I and type II individual capillary-to-fiber ratio (C/Fi) declined (−12% ± 12% and −20% ± 21%, respectively, P < .05). In contrast, significant increases in type I (from 6700 ± 1464 to 7772 ± 1319 μm(2), P < .05) and type II (from 5248 ± 892 to 6302 ± 1385 μm(2), P < .05) muscle fiber size were observed in the training group, accompanied by an increase in type I and type II muscle fiber myonuclear contents (+24% ± 33% and +21% ± 23%, respectively, P < .05) and type I C/Fi (+18% ± 14%, P < .05). CONCLUSION: The onset of ADT is followed by a decline in both type I and type II muscle fiber size and capillarization in PCa patients. Resistance exercise training offsets the negative impact of ADT and increases type I and II muscle fiber size and type I muscle fiber capillarization in these patients.