(Press-News.org) Women who survive breast cancer often suffer from functional limitations that affect motion, strength and dexterity, which may adversely affect all-cause and competing-cause survival but not breast cancer survival, according to a study published online September 22 in The Journal of the National Cancer Institute.
Breast cancer survivors who have functional limitations that affect motion, strength, and dexterity are at the same risk of dying from a recurrence of breast cancer as physically fit survivors, but are more likely to die from other causes.
Breast cancer survivorship is increasing due to improvements in early detection and adjuvant therapy, especially in industrialized countries. Since overall survival is the most therapeutically relevant outcome for cancer patients, little attention has been given to the physical limitations and other health problems that affect particularly older women who have had breast cancer.
Although these problems have been associated with poor treatment tolerance, it is unclear whether these limitations affect risk of death from breast cancer or other competing causes.
To determine how physical limitations following initial breast cancer treatment affect morbidity and mortality among women who have had breast cancer, Dejana Braithwaite, Ph.D., of the University of California, San Francisco, and colleagues, studied 2,202 women with breast cancer in the Life After Cancer Epidemiology cohort, who were followed for up to 11 years after diagnosis. They looked at the impact of functional limitations on survival as a function of age, body mass index, tumor stage, and other lifestyle characteristics.
The researchers found that 39 percent of the participants reported at least one limitation following initial adjuvant treatment. They write, "The pattern of the relationships between functional limitations and survival supports the view that functional limitations have prognostic value for breast cancer independently of known prognostic factors, including co-morbidity."
While older and overweight women reportedly had more functional limitations than other women, the impact on survival was not statistically significant.
However, outcomes differed according to disease stage: physical limitation had a stronger effect on survival among women with localized disease than among those with advanced-stage disease. Although this seems counter-intuitive, it may reflect the finding that women with functional limitations have poorer treatment tolerance because they are more likely to be older, less physically active, and overweight or obese.
The results make "biological and clinical sense," according to the authors, because the functional limitations that affect survival "…may reflect chronic inflammation and commensurately diminished function of vital organs or systems."
A limitation of the study is the lack of a control group of women without breast cancer, so the researchers could not determine whether the increase in mortality due to functional limitations was higher in women with breast cancer than in their counterparts without the disease.
In an accompanying editorial, Harvey Jay Cohen, M.D., of the Center for the Study of Aging and Human Development at Duke University, writes that the study's conclusions could be incorporated into cancer survivorship plans, especially for elderly survivors. Since "the main impact of functional limitations is on non-cancer causes of death," Cohen writes, "Such an evaluation could guide therapy regarding underlying co-morbidities and other reasons for functional decline, such as obesity and decreased physical activity."
Cohen also writes that the study importantly "suggests that implementing known interventions such as disease screening, chronic disease management, and diet and exercise programs for cancer survivors can have substantial impact."
INFORMATION:
Contact:
Article: communications contact: Elizabeth Fernandez, Elizabeth.Fernandez@ucsf.edu, 415-514-1592
Editorial: communications contact: Michelle Gailiun, Michelle M. Gailiun michelle.gailiun@duke.edu, 919-660-1306
Physical limitations of breast cancer survivors
2010-09-22
ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:
Gladstone scientists identify strategy to reduce toxic proteins associated with Alzheimer's disease
2010-09-22
SAN FRANCISCO, CA—September 23, 2010—Scientists at the Gladstone Institute of Neurological Disease (GIND) have uncovered new approaches to reduce toxic proteins in Alzheimer's disease (AD) and other neurodegenerative diseases. The results might lead to new treatments for these diseases.
"We examined a protein called tau that has been strongly implicated in Alzheimer's disease," said Li Gan, PhD, senior author on the study. "Tau forms toxic protein aggregations in the brains of Alzheimer patients."
Tau is a common protein in the central nervous system where it helps ...
Ocean cooling contributed to mid-20th century global warming hiatus
2010-09-22
FORT COLLINS – The hiatus of global warming in the Northern Hemisphere during the mid-20th century may have been due to an abrupt cooling event centered over the North Atlantic around 1970, rather than the cooling effects of tropospheric pollution, according to a new paper appearing today in Nature.
David W. J. Thompson, an atmospheric science professor at Colorado State University, is the lead author on the paper. Other authors are John M. Wallace at the University of Washington, and John J. Kennedy at the Met Office and Phil D. Jones of the University of East Anglia, ...
Cell division typically associated with cancer may also protect the liver from injury
2010-09-22
PORTLAND, Ore. — Researchers at Oregon Health & Science University have discovered that a form of cell division typically associated with cancer called multipolar mitosis can yield diverse, viable cells capable of protecting the liver from injury and poisonous substances, such as pesticides, carcinogens or drugs. Their findings are published online in the journal Nature.
"Our findings show that the liver, which is known to have a tremendous capacity for regeneration, also has an amazing degree of diversity. A better understanding of this process may reveal why some individuals ...
Genetic factor in osteoporosis discovered
2010-09-22
Spanish researchers have confirmed there is a genetic risk factor for osteoporosis and bone fractures. Although more studies are still needed, these findings will make it possible to take preventive measures.
Scientists from the University of Barcelona (UB) have discovered that the genetic variant 677C>T (a single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) that is very well known in genetic studies) is linked to osteoporotic vertebral fractures, which many women suffer from after the menopause.
"In this genetic variant, the women that displayed a TT combination (or genotype) had ...
Smoking during pregnancy may harm the child's motor control and coordination
2010-09-22
Women who smoke during pregnancy run the risk of adversely affecting their children's coordination and physical control according to a new study from Örebro University, Sweden, published in the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health.
– Moreover, we discovered that boys' abilities may be affected to a greater extent than those of girls, says Professor Scott Montgomery at Örebro University.
– There is a link between nicotine and testosterone. Nicotine can influence development of the brain and interacts with testosterone particularly during the foetal stage, and ...
A scientific research study analyzes when to buy airline and theater tickets
2010-09-22
Why do airline tickets become more expensive as the travel date approaches whereas theater tickets are sold at half price in Leicester Square on the day of the performance? In their recent article published in the Economic Journal, ("Advance Purchase Discounts versus Clearance Sales"), Professors Marc Möller and Makoto Watanabe from the UC3M Department of Economics have considered the pricing of products that can be purchased in advance, i.e., long before their actual date of consumption. Further examples include seasonal products like the newest skiing equipment or entry ...
An elegant galaxy in an unusual light
2010-09-22
NGC 1365 is one of the best known and most studied barred spiral galaxies and is sometimes nicknamed the Great Barred Spiral Galaxy because of its strikingly perfect form, with the straight bar and two very prominent outer spiral arms. Closer to the centre there is also a second spiral structure and the whole galaxy is laced with delicate dust lanes.
This galaxy is an excellent laboratory for astronomers to study how spiral galaxies form and evolve. The new infrared images from HAWK-I are less affected by the dust that obscures parts of the galaxy than images in visible ...
New luggage inspection methods identify liquid explosives
2010-09-22
To most air travelers, it is an annoying fact of life: the prohibition of liquids in carry-on luggage. Under aviation security regulations introduced in Europe in November 2006, passengers who wish to take liquids such as creams, toothpaste or sunscreen on board must do so in containers no larger than 100 ml (roughly 3.4 fluid oz.). The EU provisions came in response to attempted attacks by terrorist suspects using liquid explosives on trans-Atlantic flights in August 2006. Now, travelers have a reason to hope to see the prohibition lifted. On November 19, 2009, the EU ...
Titanium foams replace injured bones
2010-09-22
The greater one's responsibilities, the more a person grows. The same principle applies to the human bone: The greater the forces it bears, the thicker the tissue it develops. Those parts of the human skeleton subject to lesser strains tend to have lesser bone density. The force of stress stimulates the growth of the matrix. Medical professionals will soon be able to utilize this effect more efficiently, so that implants bond to their patients' bones on more sustained and stable basis. To do so, however, the bone replacement must be shaped in a manner that fosters ingrowth ...
Young teens who play sports feel healthier and happier about life
2010-09-22
Taking part in sports is good all round for young teens: physically, socially, and mentally, according to a new study1 by Dr. Keith Zullig and Rebecca White from West Virginia University in the US. Their research shows that middle-school teenagers who are physically active and play on sports teams are more satisfied with their life and feel healthier. Zullig and White's paper is published online in Springer's journal Applied Research in Quality of Life.
Although the benefits of physical activity are well documented among teenagers, middle school children are an understudied ...