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The overall goal of the annual Transdisciplinary Research in Energetics and Cancer (TREC) Training Workshop is to provide transdisciplinary training for scientists in energetics and cancer and clinical care. The 2022 Workshop included 27 early-to-mid career investigators (trainees) pursuing diverse TREC research areas in basic, clinical, and population sciences. The 2022 trainees participated in a gallery walk, an interactive qualitative program evaluation method, to summarize key takeaways related to program objectives. Writing groups were formed and collaborated on this summary of the 5 key takeaways from the TREC Workshop. The 2022 TREC Workshop provided a targeted and unique networking opportunity that facilitated meaningful collaborative work addressing research and clinical needs in energetics and cancer. This report summarizes the 2022 TREC Workshop’s key takeaways and future directions for innovative transdisciplinary energetics and cancer research.

Background: Androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) has adverse effects on body composition, including muscle wasting and body fat accumulation, which may be attenuated by nutrition therapy. This systematic review summarises available evidence on the effects of dietary interventions on lean mass, fat mass and body mass index (BMI) in men treated with ADT for prostate cancer. Methods: MEDLINE, Embase, Web of Science and ClinicalTrials.org were searched from inception through December 2020. We included all controlled trials evaluating effects of supplementation or dietary interventions on body composition in men with prostate cancer receiving continuous ADT. Methodological quality of the studies was assessed using the Cochrane Collaboration’s risk of bias tool. Meta-analysis was performed using a random effects model to calculate standardised mean differences between intervention and comparator groups. (PROSPERO; CRD42020185777). Results: Eleven studies (n= 536 participants) were included. Seven studies investigated the effects of dietary advice interventions, e.g. individual or group counselling, and four studies included a nutritional supplement. Eight studies combined the dietary intervention with exercise. Nine studies reported sufficient data for inclusion in the meta-analysis. Dietary advice and supplementation interventions combined were not associated with significant changes in lean mass (0.05 kg; 95% CI: −0.17, 0.26; p= 0.674; n= 355), fat mass (−0.22 kg; 95% CI: −0.45, 0.01; p= 0.064; n= 336) or BMI (−0.16 kg*m−2; 95% CI: −0.37, 0.04; p= 0.121; n= 399). Dietary advice interventions alone were associated with a significant fat mass reduction (−0.29 kg; 95% CI: −0.54, −0.03; p= 0.028; n= 266). Conclusions: Most studies were dietary advice interventions targeting caloric restriction, which showed the potential to reduce fat mass but did not increase lean mass in men treated with ADT. Future interventions should investigate whether a combination of dietary advice and protein supplementation with concomitant resistance exercise could counteract ADT-induced muscle wasting.

ObjectivesTreatments for prostate cancer such as androgen deprivation therapy (ADT), surgery and radiation therapy can adversely affect sexual, urinary and bowel function. Preliminary research has demonstrated the efficacy of exercise to preserve sexual function in men with localised prostate cancer receiving ADT, though this has yet to be investigated in a metastatic setting. We examined the effects of a 12-week exercise programme comprising resistance, aerobic and flexibility training on sexual health and function in men with advanced prostate cancer.MethodsPatients with prostate cancer (70.0±8.4 year; body mass index 28.7±4.0 kg/m2) with bone metastases (rib/thoracic spine, 66.7%; lumbar spine, 43.9%; pelvis, 75.4%; femur, 40.4%; humerus, 24.6%; other sites, 70.2%) were randomly assigned to supervised exercise 3 days/week (n=28) or usual care (n=29). Sexual health and function were assessed using the International Index of Erectile Function, the Expanded Prostate Cancer Index Composite and the EORTC-PR25 at baseline and 12 weeks.ResultsPatients attended 89% of planned sessions and there were no adverse events. After adjusting for baseline values, there was no significant difference between groups for any measure of sexual function and activity (p>0.05). Additionally, there was no significant difference between groups for urinary and bowel function assessed by the EORTC-PR25 (p>0.05).ConclusionsA short-term programme of supervised exercise does not appear to enhance indices of sexual health and function in men with advanced prostate cancer. Limitations of the intervention included the conservative modular exercise programme, which deliberately avoided loading bone metastatic sites.Trial registration numberACTRN12611001158954.

Objectives: To assess the long-term effects of various exercise modes on psychological distress in men with prostate cancer on androgen deprivation therapy (ADT). Patients and methods: 135 prostate cancer patients aged 43–90 years on ADT were randomized to twice weekly supervised impact loading and resistance exercise (ImpRes), supervised aerobic and resistance exercise (AerRes), and usual care/delayed supervised aerobic exercise (DelAer) for 12 months, and completed measures of psychological distress using the Brief Symptom Inventory-18 (BSI-18). BSI-18 provides three subscales for anxiety, depression, and somatisation, as well as the global severity index (GSI) where higher scores indicate higher distress. Results: Following the intervention, somatization was not different to baseline, however, there were significant interactions (p< 0.01) for depression, anxiety, and the GSI. In ImpRes, depression was reduced at 12 months compared to baseline and 6 months (0.78 ± 1.39 vs. 1.88 ± 3.24 and 1.48 ± 2.65, p< 0.001), as was the GSI (3.67 ± 4.34 vs. 5.94 ± 7.46 and 4.64 ± 4.73, p< 0.001) with anxiety reduced compared to baseline (1.08 ± 1.54 vs. 1.98 ± 2.56). Depression and the GSI decreased (p< 0.05) in AerRes at 6 months but increased by 12 months, while in DelAer the GSI was reduced at 12 months compared to 6 months (3.78 ± 3.94 vs. 5.25 ± 4.22, p= 0.031). Men with the highest level of anxiety, depression, somatization, and the GSI improved the most with exercise (ptrend< 0.001). Conclusion: Various supervised exercise modes (aerobic, resistance and impact loading) are effective in reducing psychological distress in men with prostate cancer on ADT. Those with the highest level of psychological distress improved the most. Supervised exercise should be prescribed to improve psychological health in prostate cancer patients on ADT.

Breast cancer survivors (BCS) with overweight or obesity are at heightened risk of cancer recurrence, cardiometabolic disease, and compromised quality of life. Given the prevalence of significant weight gain during and following breast cancer treatment, there is growing recognition of the need to develop efficacious, widely-accessible, weight management programs for BCS. Unfortunately, access to evidence-based weight management resources for BCS remains limited and little is known of the optimal theoretical basis, program components, and mode of delivery for community-based interventions. The primary aim of the Healthy New Albany Breast Cancer (HNABC) pilot trial was to determine the safety, feasibility, and preliminary efficacy of delivering a translational, evidence-based, and theory-driven lifestyle weight management intervention to BCS with overweight or obesity in the community setting.

Aging is associated with physiological declines, notably a decrease in bone mineral density (BMD) and lean body mass, with a concurrent increase in body fat and central adiposity. Interest in women and aging is of particular interest partly as a result of gender specific responses to aging, particularly as a result of menopause. It is possible that the onset of menopause may augment the physiological decline associated with aging and inactivity. More so, a higher incidence of metabolic syndrome (an accumulation of cardiovascular disease risk factors including obesity, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, high blood pressure, and high fasting glucose) has been shown in middle-aged women during the postmenopausal period. This is due in part to the drastic changes in body composition, as previously discussed, but also a change in physical activity (PA) levels. Sarcopenia is an age related decrease in the cross-sectional area of skeletal muscle fibers that consequently leads to a decline in physical function, gait speed, balance, coordination, decreased BMD, and quality of life. PA plays an essential role in combating physiological decline associated with aging. Maintenance of adequate levels of PA can result in increased longevity and a reduced risk for metabolic disease along with other chronic diseases. The aim of this paper is to review relevant literature, examine current PA guidelines, and provide recommendations specific to women based on current research.