Dr Jane O'Brien-Specialist Breast Cancer Surgeon

23/09/2023

In the first few days, you might want to limit who you tell about your diagnosis or keep your news private to give yourself a chance to adjust without interference. Because, although well meaning, some people will react in unexpected ways and might cause you distress rather than be truly supportive or helpful.Some people will be inclined to ask lots of questions, but you may not have all the answers. They might want to tell you other people’s stories, which you might not want or be ready to hear.

There’s a lot to learn, understand and organise when you receive a cancer diagnosis. But you don’t need to do it all at once.

03/06/2023

Regular exercise may boost pain tolerance new research suggests. In a large observational study of more than 10,000 adults, researchers found those who consistently engage in moderate-to-vigorous physical activity over the 7- to 8-year study period reported the highest pain tolerance. However, the results also showed that even light exercise was associated with greater pain tolerance. There was no significant difference in pain tolerance between men and women and all participants experienced a decline in tolerance over time.
There are many potential explanations for the link between higher levels of physical activity and pain tolerance. One is that exercise brings with it some level of pain – from stitches and muscle aches to that burning sensation you feel when trying to squeeze out that last rep. Because of this, exercise has the power to change the way we appraise pain. Exposing ourselves to these unpleasant experiences during a workout can help build resilience – our ability to function in the face of stressful events, such as pain. Physical activity can also build self-efficacy – our belief that we can do certain things despite pain.

There are many physiological and psychological reasons why exercise may boost our pain tolerance.

23/05/2023

MindOnLine
A mindfulness program for people with breast, bowel or prostate cancer

mindonline – a supportive online mindfulness program led by Deakin University for people after treatment for bowel or prostate cancer.

23/05/2023

Patients at high-risk of breast cancer recurrence who adhere to lifestyle recommendations are 37% less likely to experience recurrence and 58% less likely to die from the disease than those who don’t, a new US study reveals.
The findings provide some of the first data detailing the compounding influences of BMI, exercise, diet and smoking before, after and during chemotherapy.
The prospective cohort study of 1300 women with pathologic stage I to III high-risk breast cancer found those who maintained strict adherence to lifestyle recommendations had the longest periods of both overall and disease-free survival.
In examining the role of individual lifestyles, strongest adherence to recommendations for smoking, physical activity, fruit and vegetable intake, and sugar-sweetened beverage consumption were associated with the most significant reductions in recurrence and mortality.
Never smoking and meeting the physical activity guidelines were among the most effective interventions, with strict adherence to either dropping the risk of death by 45% and the risk of recurrence by 35% compared to those who were least adherent.
Patients who were most adherent to fruit and vegetable intake advice benefited from a 31% reduction in death over the study period and 36% reduction in recurrence and avoiding sugar-sweetened drinks led to a 44% reduction in deaths and 27% reduction in recurrence.
However, there appeared to be no advantage for either mortality or cancer recurrence for people who were adherent to BMI, red and processed meat consumption or alcohol guidelines.
Baseline characteristics such as age, menopause status, number of positive cancer nodes, hormone receptor status, tumour subtype, physical activity, smoking status and alcohol consumption were significantly associated with mortality and disease outcomes.
Patients in the normal BMI range were classified as adherent, overweight patients were semi-adherent and obese/ underweight patients were classified as non-adherent.
In relation to alcohol consumption, individuals who abstained from drinking were categorised as fully adherent. Moderate adherence was defined as consuming one or fewer standard drinks per day. Consumption exceeding this limit was classified as non-compliant.
See:
https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamanetworkopen/articlepdf/2804477/cannioto_2023_oi_230364_1682516035.35199.pdf

While exercise improved outcomes, cutting out meat and alcohol did not.

07/05/2023

The strongest adherence to cancer prevention lifestyle recommendations is associated with reductions in disease recurrence and mortality among patients with high-risk breast cancer, according to a study published last week in JAMA Network Open.
Researchers examined whether adherence to cancer prevention recommendations before, during, and one and two years after breast cancer treatment was associated with disease recurrence or mortality in the prospective, observational cohort Diet, Exercise, Lifestyles, and Cancer Prognosis Study.
They found that patients with the highest versus the lowest lifestyle index scores experienced significant reductions in disease recurrence and mortality (hazard ratios, 0.63 and 0.42, respectively) and concluded that the strongest adherence to recommendations for smoking, physical activity, fruit and vegetable intake, and sugar-sweetened beverage consumption was most consistently associated with improved outcomes, and that importantly, significant survival advantages were consistently observed in patients diagnosed with more aggressive breast cancer subtypes.
Lifestyle factors potentially play an important part in maximising breast cancer outcomes, and all women should be encouraged to address, and if relevant, modify lifestyle factors, particularly exercise, weight control and smoking.

See:
https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamanetworkopen/fullarticle/2804477

Published in Oncology News · May 06, 2023 Adherence to Healthy Lifestyle Cuts Breast Cancer Recurrence, Mortality Significant reduction seen in disease recurrence and mortality for those with highest versus lowest lifestyle index scores HealthDay    Save  Recommend  Share Facebook Twitter Linke...

03/05/2023

In a recent study published in the journal "Cancer" having depression before or after a breast cancer diagnosis was associated with a lower likelihood of survival.

In a recent study, having depression before or after a breast cancer diagnosis was associated with a lower likelihood of survival. The findings are published by Wiley online in CANCER, a peer-reviewed journal of the American Cancer Society.

25/04/2023

Link to new NCCN Guidelines for Patients®: Inflammatory Breast Cancer:
https://www.nccn.org/patients/guidelines/content/PDF/inflammatory-breast-patient.pdf