Breast cancer patients who gain significant weight after diagnosis have an increased risk of cancer reoccurrence and death, according to a study. Moderate weight gain appears not to affect the outcome. The study was presented at the American Association for Cancer Research meeting and reported by Reuters.
18,336 breast cancer survivors between the ages of 20 and 83 in the U.S. and China were included in the study. Each of the patients had their weight assessed 18 to 48 months post-diagnosis and that weight was compared with their weight prior to diagnosis.
Extreme weight gain in 16 percent of the women caused a 14 percent increase in cancer recurrence compared with women who maintained a stable weight level.
19.4 percent of women who gained an extreme amount of weightwere considered of a normal body weight before their diagnosis of breast cancer. They had a 25 percent increase risk of death from cancer.
"Most women are not gaining a large amount of weight following breast cancer diagnosis. But our analysis of the pooled data showed an association with poorer outcomes overall for those who do," said lead researcher Bette Caan, in an AACR news release.
She added that further research will need to be completed to understand why women who gains significant weight are at risk for poor breast cancer outcomes.
