| Learning Objective #1: Outline the rate, magnitude, and patterns of weight and body composition change that occurs among women with early-stage breast cancer who receive adjuvant chemotherapy | |||
| Learning Objective #2: Describe the role of selected energy balance variables in predicting weight change among women with early-stage breast cancer who receive adjuvant chemotherapy |
Weight gain during breast cancer chemotherapy has been reported in up to 96% of patients, and has links to early recurrence, increased risk of later chronic disease, impaired adjustment and poor treatment adherence. It was re-examined because of the dramatic changes in adjuvant treatment regimens in recent years. The study examined breast cancer-associated weight gain in a sample of premenopausal, Stage I and II breast cancer patients receiving chemotherapy at two clinics in central-western Ontario. The research questions were: 1) What is the rate and magnitude of breast cancer-associated weight change? 2) What are the caloric intakes, physical activity levels, resting energy expenditures (REEs), nicotine intakes, and menopausal symptoms of subjects who gain, maintain or lose weight? 3) Are there patterns of weight and body composition change during treatment? 4) How do caloric intake, physical activity, REE, nicotine intake, and menopausal symptoms predict weight change? A correlational, longitudinal design with consecutive case sampling was used, and a sample 91 patients was assembled. Participants were enroled and baseline measures were collected before treatment began. Subsequent data were collected during every-other treatment cycle. Dietary intake, physical activity, nicotine intake and menopausal symptoms were measured via questionnaire, while data on REE, weight, height and body mass index (the outcome) were obtained via anthropometric techniques. Subjects were slightly overweight at baseline; 45% were significantly overweight. The mean weight change for the sample was a gain of 1.4kg. Weights were stable for 55% of women, while 34% gained and 11% lost weight. Although adult weight gain is predominantly increased fat mass, weight gainers in this sample also experienced small gains in lean body mass. These results update previous knowledge about breast-cancer associated weight gain and its predictors, and lay the groundwork for targeting weight management interventions to treatment, weight and body composition profiles.
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