Impact of a behavioral weight loss intervention on comorbidities in overweight and obese breast cancer survivors

Rebecca L. Sedjo*, Shirley W. Flatt, Tim Byers, Graham A. Colditz, Wendy Demark-Wahnefried, Patricia A. Ganz, Kathleen Y. Wolin, Anthony Elias, Helen Krontiras, Jingxia Liu, Michael Naughton, Bilgé Pakiz, Barbara A. Parker, Holly Wyatt, Cheryl L. Rock

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

11 Scopus citations

Abstract

Purpose: Comorbid medical conditions are common among breast cancer survivors, contribute to poorer long-term survival and increased overall mortality, and may be ameliorated by weight loss. This secondary analysis evaluated the impact of a weight loss intervention on comorbid medical conditions immediately following an intervention (12 months) and 1-year postintervention (24 months) using data from the Exercise and Nutrition to Enhance Recovery and Good health for You (ENERGY) trial—a phase III trial which was aimed at and successfully promoted weight loss. Methods: ENERGY randomized 692 overweight/obese women who had completed treatment for early stage breast cancer to either a 1-year group-based behavioral intervention designed to achieve and maintain weight loss or to a less intensive control intervention. Minimal support was provided postintervention. New medical conditions, medical conditions in which non-cancer medications were prescribed, hospitalizations, and emergency room visits, were compared at baseline, year 1, and year 2. Changes over time were analyzed using chi-squared tests, Kaplan-Meier, and logistic regression analyses. Results: At 12 months, women randomized to the intervention had fewer new medical conditions compared to the control group (19.6 vs. 32.2 %, p < 0.001); however, by 24 months, there was no longer a significant difference. No difference was observed in each of the four conditions for which non-cancer medications were prescribed, hospital visits, or emergency visits at either 12 or 24 months. Conclusions: These results support a short-term benefit of modest weight loss on the likelihood of comorbid conditions; however, recidivism and weight regain likely explain no benefit at 1-year postintervention follow-up.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)3285-3293
Number of pages9
JournalSupportive Care in Cancer
Volume24
Issue number8
DOIs
StatePublished - Aug 1 2016

Funding

This study was supported by NCI grant CA148791. Management of stored biological samples at the UCSD Coordinating Center was facilitated by the Diet and Physical Activity Shared Resource of the Moores UCSD Cancer Center (NCI Cancer Center Support Grant CA23100). The Colorado Clinical Translational Sciences Institute grant (NIH CTSI Grant TR001082) supported study activities at the University of Colorado. This publication also was made possible by grant number UL1 RR024992 from the National Center for Research Resources (NCRR), a component of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), and NIH Roadmap for Medical Research. Its contents are solely the responsibility of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official view of the National Center for Research Resources or NIH. We thank the Alvin J. Siteman Cancer Center at Washington University School of Medicine and Barnes-Jewish Hospital in St. Louis, Missouri, for the use of the Tissue Procurement Core, which provided sample storage and processing (supported in part by an NCI Cancer Center Support Grant CA91842).

Keywords

  • Breast cancer survivorship
  • Comorbid conditions
  • Weight loss

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Oncology

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