Grant: Project Grant

With improvements in early detection and treatment, breast cancer patients are living longer. Unfortunately, breast cancer treatments often have physical and psychological side effects. Breast cancer survivors have a high risk for a recurrence, second cancers, heart disease, weight gain, bone loss, fatigue, anxiety and depression. Regular physical activity (PA) can improve the physical function of breast cancer survivors, help manage some short-term side effects of treatment and reduce the risk of recurrence. Many breast cancer survivors have high levels of sedentary behaviour (time spent sitting) (SB). To date, little is known about how SB or fitness may affect breast cancer outcomes. Furthermore, PA has not been adopted into regular cancer care and the guidelines cannot be personalized to each patient regarding the type and volume of PA necessary to improve survival after breast cancer. We initiated the Alberta Moving Beyond Breast Cancer (AMBER) cohort study in 2012 to address this knowledge gap. We recruited 1,528 female, newly diagnosed breast cancer patients and are following them for an average of 12 years for all disease outcomes. Participants have completed several questionnaires, undergone physical fitness tests, been assessed for lymphedema (swelling in the arms), peripheral neuropathy (nerve pain in limbs), had their body composition measured (body fat, lean mass), given fasting blood samples, and worn devices that objectively measure their PA and SB at breast cancer diagnosis and again at 1, 3, and 5 years. To complete our cohort study, we now need to: 1) measure biomarkers in the blood samples; 2) collect the rest of the 5-year questionnaires, 3) analyze these data, and 4) publish our results. Our analyses will examine how these lifestyle factors are associated with survival outcomes. This study will lead to improvements in both clinical guidelines and public health recommendations on PA, SB, and health-related fitness for breast cancer survivors.