Higher measured physical activity was inversely associated with detection of clinically significant prostate cancer in men with suspicion of PCa, and active smoking also showed an inverse association, both findings meriting further investigation.
Higher physical activity measured by step count was inversely associated with clinically significant prostate cancer (csPCa) detection in multivariate logistic regression.
Active smoking compared to never-smokers was inversely associated with detection of csPCa.
Higher prostate-specific antigen (PSA) density was associated with increased risk of csPCa detection.
Body composition measures were not associated with csPCa detection.
Among 298 men referred for prostate cancer diagnostics, 143 (48%) were diagnosed with clinically significant prostate cancer.
This research followed 298 men who were referred to a clinic for prostate cancer testing due to either elevated PSA blood levels or an abnormal prostate exam. About half of these men (48%) were ultimately diagnosed with clinically significant prostate cancer. The study collected detailed information on the men's lifestyles, body measurements, and medical history, and used wearable accelerometers to objectively measure physical activity levels rather than relying solely on self-reported data. The study found that men who took more steps per day were less likely to be diagnosed with clinically significant prostate cancer — each increment in step count was associated with about a 9% lower odds of diagnosis. Interestingly, men who were currently smoking had lower odds of csPCa detection compared to those who had never smoked, though the researchers caution this unexpected finding needs further study. In contrast, higher PSA density (a measure combining PSA level with prostate size) was strongly associated with a greater likelihood of csPCa detection. Body size measures including BMI, waist circumference, and MRI-based body composition were not significantly linked to csPCa in this group. This research suggests that higher levels of physical activity, as objectively measured by step count, may be linked to a lower likelihood of clinically significant prostate cancer among men already under clinical suspicion. However, since this was a single-center study and some data relied on self-reporting, the findings — particularly the surprising smoking result — need to be confirmed in larger and more diverse studies before any conclusions can be drawn about causation or clinical application.
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Upload Your LabsHeiskanen E, Kalinen S, Chu R, Högerman M, Lamminen T, Taimen P, et al.. (2026). Lifestyle, anthropometric factors and clinically significant prostate cancer diagnosis in men with suspected prostate cancer.. Scandinavian journal of urology. https://doi.org/10.2340/sju.v61.46749