SAN ANTONIO — Breast cancer survivors with poor physical health, particularly those with limited physical activity, have a worse prognosis than those with adequate physical health, based on the results of a study of almost 3,000 survivors followed for 6 years.
“Approximately 40% of breast cancer survivors are at higher risk because of their poor physical health status,” Abu N. Saquib, Ph.D., wrote in a poster presented at the San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium.
Dr. Saquib and his coinvestigators at the University of California, San Diego, assessed the effect of physical health and physical activity on additional breast cancer events and deaths among 2,967 early-stage breast cancer survivors, who were enrolled in the Women's Healthy Eating and Living study during 1995–2000.
The investigators found that both physical activity and physical health were strong predictors of breast cancer prognosis on univariate analysis. However, multivariate analysis—which adjusted for age, race, body mass index, menopausal status, tumor type, tumor grade, tumor stage, anti-estrogen use, and other factors—showed that physical health was a stronger predictor of additional breast cancer events and death from breast cancer than was physical activity. Those with low physical health had a 57% increased risk of having additional breast cancer events and a 50% increased risk of breast cancer death during follow-up than did those with adequate physical health.