Health-related quality of life is associated with physical activity levels among colorectal cancer survivors: a longitudinal, 3-year study of the PROFILES registry

PURPOSE: The present study aims to examine the longitudinal relation between physical activity (PA) and health-related quality of life (HRQoL) among colorectal cancer (CRC) survivors. METHODS: Individuals diagnosed with CRC between 2000 and 2009 as registered by the Dutch population-based Eindhoven Cancer Registry, and who were eligible for the study, received a questionnaire on three time points with 1-year intervals. Generalized linear mixed models were used to estimate the independent effects of PA on HRQoL over time. RESULTS: Response rates were 73% (n = 2625), 83% (n = 1643), and 82% (n = 1458) at T1, T2, and T3, respectively. PA behavior was relatively stable over time with 82% of the patients meeting the Dutch PA guidelines (at least 150 min of moderate to vigorous PA per week) at all assessment periods. Multivariate analyses showed that patients who met the PA guidelines scored, on average, 13.7 points higher on the global quality of life, 26.0 on physical, 24.2 on role, 9.0 on cognitive, 10.4 on emotional, and 14.8 on social functioning over time compared to patients not meeting the guidelines (interindividual effects; all p < 0.01). Small intraindividual effects were found for physical (2.9) and role functioning (4.0) and global quality of life (2.1), indicating that patients who went from not meeting to meeting the guidelines over time improved on these scales (p < 0.05). CONCLUSION: There is a substantial positive association between PA and HRQoL, which is consistent over time for CRC survivors >2 years since diagnosis. IMPLICATIONS FOR CANCER SURVIVORS: Our results underline the importance to focus upon training in survivorship care and strategies to get inactive cancer survivors physically active