Women Breast Cancer Survivors Likely to Gain Weight: Study

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Women with breast cancer have many trials to surpass, from acceptance, treatment and survival for themselves and their families. As if these difficulties are not enough, a study has shown that they are also more than likely to gain weight, increasing their risk for obesity and other chronic diseases.

CBS News reports that based on a recent study published in the journal Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention, women who have undergone chemotherapy for breast cancer treatment have an increased possibility of gaining weight.

Dr. Kala Visvanathan of the John Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health in Baltimore explained that weight gain can impact the recurrence of breast cancer or prevalence of getting other chronic diseases. This is important because mortality in breast cancer is caused by the complications, not by the cancer itself.

The Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the National Cancer Institute both agree that as 89 percent of the estimated 220,000 women with breast cancer can survive for more than five years, weight-related issues may affect this survival rate.

CBS Baltimore cites Melissa McGuire, a 46-year-old woman who was diagnosed with breast cancer five years ago. She is a BRCA gene carrier, which means she has a high risk of getting breast or ovarian cancer.

McGuire has opted for prophylactic mastectomy and hysterectomy to prevent the cancer from spreading, and has been prescribed Tamoxifen ever since. She noted that right after the treatment, she has gained 30 pounds in a year and a half.

The researchers believe chemotherapy might be the culprit as it can increase insulin resistance and inflammation, which can disrupt the body’s metabolism process and eventually lead to weight gain.

TIME Magazine writes that weight gain may be caused by several factors following chemotherapy treatment. For one, cancer patients become less active or practice a more sedentary lifestyle due to the draining effects of chemo to their bodies.

Dr. Visvanathan believes maintaining a healthy diet and adapting a more active lifestyle should be instilled in breast cancer patients as these factors are critical to help them manage their weight. Additionally, if the weight gain led to obesity, the patient will need to deal with more complications and diseases associated with it.

The results of the new study will help increase awareness to breast cancer patients about the importance of keeping their weight in check. Obesity is a problem we do not wish to encounter if we plan on helping patients survive longer, the doctor concluded