Researchers identify factors associated with weight gain, which affects nearly 20% of women who have had breast cancer.
- On average, scientists have observed that women gain just under a kilogram in the six years following a breast cancer diagnosis.
- But 18% of them, or about one in five, are affected by excessive weight gain, i.e. more than 10%.
- Factors associated with excessive weight gain include age, starting weight, stage of cancer, etc.
If breast cancer is detected early enough, it is said to have a good prognosis. In fact, the five-year survival rate for women diagnosed between 2010 and 2015 is 88%, according to the Overview of cancers in France – 2023 edition.
After such an ordeal, some survivors tend to gain extra pounds, according to a new study presented at the annual medical conference ENDO 2024organized in early June in Boston.
Breast cancer survivors gain weight
The researchers wanted to measure the number of women who had suffered from breast cancer who were affected by this excessive weight gain and the factors that are associated with these extra kilos. To do this, they used a register of 4,744 patients who had had this disease.
“Weight gain after breast cancer diagnosis and treatment is a common concern among survivors and is a risk factor for breast cancer recurrence.explains Maria Daniela Hurtado Andrade, the study’s lead researcher, in a communicated. In addition to increasing the risk of breast cancer recurrence, weight gain increases the risk of cardiovascular disease. Among breast cancer survivors, cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death after breast cancer itself.“
In this work, scientists observed that on average, during the six years following a cancer diagnosis, women gain a little less than a kilogram (0.9 kg). But 18% of them, or about one in five, are affected by excessive weight gain, that is to say more than 10%.
Breast cancer: 7 factors of this weight gain
The researchers also determined the factors associated with excessive weight gain:
- have a low weight at the onset of the disease;
- be young at the time of diagnosis;
- have more advanced cancer;
- have hormone-positive breast cancer;
- have mutations in the BRCA2 gene;
- undergo more aggressive breast surgery;
- have recourse to chemotherapy and endocrine therapy.
The team believes that this list could help identify women who may have weight problems much earlier and prevent associated disorders.Identifying these patients early in the process will allow us to institute measures to prevent excessive weight gain, thereby improving breast cancer and cardiovascular disease outcomes, says Hurtado Andrade. Our main objective is [que les femmes puissent bien vivre le plus longtemps possible après un cancer du sein].”