Cross-sectional study of patient-reported fatigue, physical activity and cardiovascular status in men after robotic-assisted radical prostatectomy

Abstract

Purpose: Patient-reported fatigue after robotic-assisted radical prostatectomy (RARP) has not been characterised to date. Fatigue after other prostate cancer (PCa) treatments is known to impact on patient-reported quality of life. The aim of this study was to characterise fatigue, physical activity levels and cardiovascular status post-RARP. Methods: Between October 2016 and March 2017, men post-RARP or on androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) were invited into the study. Participants were asked to complete the Brief Fatigue Inventory (BFI) and Stage of Change and Scottish Physical Activity Questionnaires (SPAQ) over a 2-week period. Outcome measures were patient-reported fatigue, physical activity levels and the 10-year risk of cardiovascular disease (Q-Risk). Data were analysed in SPSS. Results: 96/117 (82%) men approached consented to participate; of these, 62/96 (65%) returned complete questionnaire data (RARP n = 42, ADT n = 20). All men reported fatigue with 9/42 (21%) post-RARP reporting clinically significant fatigue. Physical activity did not correlate with fatigue. On average, both groups were overweight (BMI 27.0 ± 3.9 kg/m2 and 27.8 ± 12.3 kg/m2 for RARP and ADT, respectively) and the post-RARP group had an 18.1% ± 7.4% Q-Risk2 score. Conclusions: A proportion of men is at increased risk of cardiovascular disease within 10 years post-RARP and have substantial levels of fatigue; therefore, clinicians should consider including these factors when counselling patients about RARP. Additionally, men post-RARP did not meet the recommended guidelines for resistance-based exercise. Future research is needed to establish whether interventions including resistance-based exercise can improve health and fatigue levels in this population.