The Exercise Profile of a Young Female Breast Cancer Survivor Prior to and After Diagnosis

Abstract

The efficacy of cancer and exercise research is fast advancing. However, describing and quantifying exercise habits during all phases of a cancer diagnosis is lacking. PURPOSE: To describe the exercise profile of a young female breast cancer survivor before cancer diagnosis and post diagnosis. METHODS: This was a case study and involved conducting two VO2max tests with gas analysis (Parvo Medics) on one young, female breast cancer survivor to establish functional capacity 6-months and 12-months post treatment. The participant was asked to recall all exercise performed, stating estimated mode (M), frequency (F), intensity (I), duration (D), and progression (P) under the following parameters: (1) one year prior to cancer diagnosis, (2) after diagnosis and prior to cancer treatment, (3) during cancer treatment, and (4) post cancer therapy. RESULTS: The subject was 28 y at diagnosis and 30 y during both VO2max tests post treatment. Physical characteristics were height (165.1 cm), body weight (56.8 kg), and body mass index (20.8 kg/m2). Cancer diagnosis (7.30.2008) included left breast invasive ductal carcinoma, grade 2/3 (score 7), approximately 1.6 cm in size. Treatment included bilateral mastectomy with axillary lymph node biopsy, chemotherapy (3rd generation), and 33x radiation treatments. Related to exercise habits, prior to diagnosis no deliberate, formalized exercise plan existed and consisted of: M - hard physical labor (landscaping) and outdoor sport activities, F - 6-7 days·wk-1, I - mostly moderate with some high intensity, D - 40-50 hrs·wk-1 (work) and 4+ hrs·wk-1 (active play on weekends), and P - "always going." After diagnosis, during treatment, and post cancer therapy, exercise habits became more deliberate and non-work exercise parameters increased, including I and D, vs. the year prior to diagnosis. Of note, she reduced hard physical work post diagnosis. VO2max was 38.3 and 42.4 mL·kg-1·min-1 at 6-mo and 12-mo post treatment, respectively, which was a 10.7% improvement in functional capacity without change in exercise habits between tests. CONCLUSION: Results indicated that upon cancer diagnosis the cancer survivor became more purposeful in relation to structured exercise (i.e. using M, F, I, D, & P), which seemed to infer benefit as she preserved fitness throughout cancer treatment and post therapy.