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Breast cancer survivors gain significantly more weight than cancer-free women
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A prospective study of women with a familial history of breast cancer showed those who are diagnosed with the disease tended to gain more weight than cancer-free women of the same age and menopausal status.
Weight gain after breast cancer diagnosis is common, and prior research has demonstrated its association with increased risk for recurrence or development of a second primary cancer. However, limited research has been conducted to compare breast cancer survivors with the cancer-free population.
Kala Visvanathan
Kala Visvanathan, MD, associate professor of epidemiology at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and director of the Clinical Cancer Genetics and Prevention Service at Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center, and colleagues enrolled 610 women from the Breast and Ovarian Surveillance Service cohort study, which includes women with a familial risk for breast and ovarian cancers.
The study population included 303 breast cancer survivors, as well as 307 cancer-free women matched for age and menopausal status. All study participants completed baseline questionnaires and at least one follow-up questionnaire, administered every 3 to 4 years.
“Our study showed that women diagnosed with breast cancer and those who received chemotherapy to treat their breast cancer gained more weight within the first 5 years of diagnosis and treatment than cancer-free women,” Visvanathan said in a press release.
Overall, women diagnosed with breast cancer gained an average of 3.06 pounds (95% CI, 0.94-5.17) more than cancer-free women.
Results showed study participants diagnosed with breast cancer within 5 years prior to baseline gained an average of 3.81 pounds (95% CI, 1.22-6.29) more than women who were cancer free. Those diagnosed with ER-negative invasive cancer within 5 years prior to baseline gained an average of 7.26 pounds (95% CI, 2.23-12.3) more than women who were cancer free.
Breast cancer survivors treated with chemotherapy appeared twice as likely to gain at least 11 pounds during follow-up compared with cancer-free women (OR = 2.1; 95% CI, 1.21-3.63). Weight gain was even more prevalent among survivors who took statins during chemotherapy (P = .01).
“This is of concern because weight gain of this magnitude in adults has been associated with increased future risk for chronic diseases like coronary heart disease, hypertension and type 2 diabetes,” Amy Gross, MHS, a doctoral candidate in the department of epidemiology at Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health, said in the press release. “We are continuing to follow our study participants to track weight-gain patterns over a longer period of time.”
The researchers identified some study limitations, including a lack of racial or ethnic diversity among study participants and the fact the analysis relied on patient-reported weight gain, which could have led to measurement error or bias.
However, the researchers suggested their study was strong because of its prospective nature and because of the direct comparison to a cancer-free group recruited from the same cohort.
“This study highlights the need for physicians and their patients, including those with a family history of the disease, to pay closer attention to weight gain during and after treatment,” Visvanathan said in the press release. “Longer follow-up is needed to confirm the persistence of weight gain in breast cancer survivors and understand the metabolic changes that may be occurring.” – by Anthony SanFilippo
Disclosure: The researchers report no relevant financial disclosures.
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