Weight gain , and Increase chance of BC returning

[BonnieT]

Hi
I saw my Oncologist yesterday and she told my that they have found that in women who have had BC : weight gain increases your chances of getting it again. I have gained about 20 lbs but have been steady for about 3 months, anyway she wants me to try and loose 10 lbs by the end of the summer. She said she knows that this is a "Tall " order but she would like me to try .
Does anyone have a good diet / exercise schedule that will work for a busy mom :-) ???????
THANKS
BonnieT

[Julie2]

Bonnie,


I thought weight loss is a risk factor for her2+++ BC. Maybe your onc. is talking about homonal positive BC where weight gain is a risk factor. I am trying to put on weight as I am always thin.

Julie

[Lani]

what do you mean by "getting it again"--ie getting another new breast cancer vs recurrence of your original breast cancer?

As far as I know there are no figures for how the risk of recurrence of the original her2+ breast cancer is influenced by weight gain/loss.

Most studies looked at ALL breast cancers, which by nature are about 10-15% ER-PR-HER2-, 20-25%her2+ (which seem to be spread about 45% ER+ and 55% ER-) and 55-60% ER+PR+her2-. The exact figures are hard to get to as her2 testing is not done everywhere and not done equally well everywhere.


I estimated these figures based on the fact that ER+ tumors are about 67% of tumors, her2 about 20-25% of tumors, and triple negatives make up the rest.

Studies that lumped everyone together showed exercise decreased recurrence of tumors in ER+ patients even when it was not associated with weight loss.

Weight loss helps the body with its use of insulin and there is a role (very complicated and still being discovered) of insulin growth factor receptor as alternate signalling/complicating factor for her2+ breast cancers. I don't
think it is well worked out yet but I have heard implied that it may be involved in someway with deciding whether or not lapatinib may be effective (more reading needed on my part!)

In any case, if you have extra "upholstery" it will make recurrences harder for the doctor to detect (it has hard to feel a pea in a dumpling!), may make breathing harder for you if you get metastases to your lung (expecially lying down you have to "lift" up that heavy chest with your breathing), makes harder work for your heart to transport the body the around by walking, makes harder work for your bones should you get metastases, and if associated with high blood pressure may increase your risk of stroke.

That said, many on this site believe having a few extra pounds on you is like a squirrel burying away some nuts for the future. If they tend to be thin, they hope it will tide them over if they need to take future courses of chemo which might "ruin their appetite"

The study that came out last year showed recurrences decreased in ER- tumors as a group (her2 + and- and not differentiated as I recall) with a low fat diet. I would have to go back and look for it (I am sure you can find it with the search feature of this site) but one of the authors was Chlebowski, I believe.

Again, as far as I know nooone has shown particularly that weight loss perse keep her2+ breast cancer from recurring (that doesn't mean it doesn't. just that they haven't done the study just looking at her2+ patients). The studies we have been discussing recently have to do with BMI (weight) status and risk of breast cancer in general, ie, getting it in the first place or getting a second one!

Hope this helps!

[R.B.]

You might like to check out the posts on diet and fats on this site using the search engine above right - click on search.

Omega six fats are implicated in weight gain, and the insulin cycle.

Balancing threes and six may reduce you cancer risk profile as well as facilitating weight loss.

Major changes in diet should be discussed with your advisor.

I have posted some book titles which deal with diet and BC. You might want to check out your local library.

RB

[Becky]

My two cents is:


When you are at your ideal weight or less and exercise moderately most days (just a nice walk) and eat right and get enough rest - that is the prescription for good health overall. It helps prevent diseases, helps your immune system function properly and helps you weather storms if they occur.

So... regardless if you have had breast cancer, this is what everyone should do to maintain good health.

So, you should lose weight to be healthy in general and in turn, logic says being healthy will help prevent a recurrence or new primary.

Kind regards

Becky

[RhondaH]

... MY feelings are that I want to do EVERYTHING I can to keep this from coming back...losing weight feels a WHOLE lot better than chemo...blach:)

Rhonda

[R.B.]

Rhondah's succint view on chemo

BLACH!



RB

[al from Canada]

Dear Bonnie,
Everyone has given you some great advice. Lani has nailed it with some scientific corroboration. The vast majority of cancers are ER positive and I think that is where the advice comes from. Fat cells do and will produce estrogen. As well, the insulin connection cannot be ignored!
There is a balance however becuse a study I read a while back indicated that women who are UNDERWIEGHT have a higher BC mortality rate than those with a healthy wieght.
As always, let's keep things in moderation.

Al