Narrative Review of Lifestyle Interventions in Breast Cancer Survivors: Current Evidence and Future Directions.

Abstract

Background: One in eight females will be diagnosed with breast cancer in their lifetime. While medical advances have increased the likelihood of survival, up to 90% of females will gain weight during and after treatment increasing the risk of breast cancer recurrence and obesity related co-morbidities in survivorship. Behavioral lifestyle interventions focused on diet with or without physical activity can provide breast cancer survivors non-pharmacological options to decrease weight gain and cardiometabolic risk.

Method: A PubMed search was conducted to identify all behavioral lifestyle interventions focused on diet or diet combined with physical activity longer than 4 weeks of duration in breast cancer survivors that included body weight as an outcome. This review aims to summarize the effects on body weight, body composition and cardiometabolic risk markers are summarized.

Results: Based on the review, there is high heterogeneity in type and duration of the intervention to affect weight and cardiometabolic risk in survivorship. Calorie restriction with and without physical activity appears to promote weight loss among breast cancer survivors. However, the effects on cardiometabolic factors are less clear.

Conclusion: Future studies should be powered for both body weight and cardiometabolic effects. Researchers should also consider interventions that are: 1) less complex, 2) recruit a more racially and ethnically diverse sample, 3) integrate resistance training, 4) implement the intervention in closer proximity to diagnosis, 5) target weight management in this population before it occurs and 6) analyze body composition in addition to body weight measurements.