Abstract
Improvements in cancer care over the years have increased the numbers of cancer survivors. Therefore, quality of life, fat mass management and physical activity are growing areas of interest in these people. After the surgical removal of a breast cancer, adjuvant therapy remains anyway a common strategy. The aim of this study was to assess how adjuvant therapy can affect the effectiveness of an unsupervised exercise program. Forty-two women were enrolled (52.0 ± 10.1 years). Assessments performed at baseline and after six months of exercise prescription were body composition, health-related quality of life, aerobic capacity by Six-Minute Walk Test, limbs strength by hand grip and chair test and flexibility by sit and reach. Statistical analyses were conducted by ANOVA tests and multiple regression. Improvements in body composition, physical fitness and quality of life (physical functioning, general health, social functioning and mental health items) were found. The percentage change in fat mass has been associated with adjuvant cancer therapy (intercept = −0.016; b = 8.629; p < 0.05). An unsupervised exercise prescription program improves body composition, physical fitness and health-related quality of life in breast cancer survivors. Adjuvant therapy in cancer slows down the effectiveness of an exercise program in the loss of fat mass.
Highlights
Breast cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer in women around the world, the second cause of cancer death in female population of developed countries (198,000 deaths in 2012) and the first cause of cancer death in Italian women (12,274 deaths in 2015) [1].The importance of lifestyle in the etiopathogenesis of this disease is well-demonstrated [2]
All the patients had been diagnosed with a stage IIIC or inferior breast cancer and started the program after the surgery: 48% had undergone unilateral mastectomy with lymphadenectomy, 19% unilateral quadrantectomy with lymphadenectomy, 19% unilateral quadrantectomy, 12% bilateral mastectomy with bilateral lymphadenectomy, 2% bilateral mastectomy with unilateral lymphadenectomy
The sample of the present study shows the anthropometric and lifestyle parameters in line with other studies already present [27]; these characteristics do not appear to guarantee a healthy level of cardiorespiratory fitness
Summary
Breast cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer in women around the world, the second cause of cancer death in female population of developed countries (198,000 deaths in 2012) and the first cause of cancer death in Italian women (12,274 deaths in 2015) [1].The importance of lifestyle in the etiopathogenesis of this disease is well-demonstrated [2]. Patients report a feeling of fatigue that can result from the side effects of the treatment or from the cancer itself. This promotes an increase in physical inactivity, which increases the likelihood of incurring overweight and obesity [3]. The excess weight condition is associated with a low-grade systemic inflammation that promotes the development of insulin resistance, atherosclerosis and tumor growth, even in cancer survivors. This may explain the association between cancer and cardiovascular / metabolic diseases [4]. The impact of comorbidities on all-causes mortality in breast cancer survivors is remarkable [5]
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