Adherence to the WCRF/AICR Guidelines for Cancer Prevention Is Associated with Lower Mortality among Older Female Cancer Survivors

Abstract

Background The 2007 World Cancer Research Fund/American Institute for Cancer Research (WCRF/AICR) guidelines encourage cancer survivors to follow its cancer prevention recommendations. We evaluated whether adherence to the WCRF/AICR guidelines for cancer prevention was associated with lower mortality among older female cancer survivors. Methods From 2004–2009, 2,017 participants in the Iowa Women’s Health Study who had a confirmed cancer diagnosis (1986–2002) and completed the 2004 follow-up questionnaire were followed. Adherence scores for the WCRF/AICR guidelines for body weight, physical activity, and diet were computed assigning one, 0.5 or 0 points to each of eight recommendations depending on the degree of adherence. All-cause (n=461), cancer-specific (n=184), and cardiovascular disease (CVD)-specific mortality (n=145) were compared by the total adherence score and by adherence scores for each of the three components of the recommendations. Results Women with the highest (6–8) vs. lowest (0–4) adherence score had lower all-cause mortality (HR=0.67, 95%CI=0.50–0.94). Meeting the physical activity recommendation was associated with lower all-cause (ptrend<0.0001), cancer-specific (ptrend=0.04), and CVD-specific mortality (ptrend=0.03). Adherence to dietary recommendations was associated with lower all-cause mortality (ptrend<0.05), whereas adherence to the body weight recommendation was associated with higher all-cause mortality (ptrend=0.009). Conclusions Adherence to the WCRF/AICR guidelines was associated with lower all-cause mortality among older female cancer survivors. Adherence to the physical activity recommendation had the strongest association with lower all-cause and disease-specific mortality. Impact Older cancer survivors may decrease their risk of death by leading a healthy lifestyle after a cancer diagnosis.

Is adherence to diet, physical activity, and body weight cancer prevention recommendations associated with colorectal cancer incidence in African American women?

“…This approach has been used in several previous study populations [26,27,10]. For each individual recommendation, 1 point was assigned for complete adherence, 0.5 points for non-adherence level 1 (missed cut-point, but closer to recommendation) and 0 points for non-adherence level 2 (missed cut-point and further from recommendations).…”

The role of dietary polyphenols in the moderation of the inflammatory response in early stage colorectal cancer

“…Once activated, STAT3 induces expression of antiapoptotic genes, proliferative genes such as Cyclin D1 or c-Myc and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) which is responsible for angiogenesis (Terzic et al, 2010). In the tumour cells themselves, STAT3 inhibits apoptosis by up-regulating pro-survival Bcl-2 proteins (Norat et al, 2014, Inoue-Choi et al, 2013. Furthermore, STAT3 induces tumourassociated inflammation by upregulating chemokines capable of attracting immune and inflammatory cells that further enhance STAT3 activity through the production of IL-6, IL-11 and other cytokines .…”

Feasibility, Preliminary Efficacy, and Lessons Learned from a Garden-Based Lifestyle Intervention for Cancer Survivors

“…3–6 In addition, survivors remain at increased risk for recurring primary cancers and secondary malignancies as well as comorbidities such as osteoporosis, cardiovascular disease, and type 2 diabetes mellitus. 7–9 Long-term secondary effects of treatment often affect this population, resulting in higher rates of all-cause mortality. 10,11 …”

“…17 Most cancer survivors consume diets high in saturated fat and low in fruits, vegetables, and whole grains, and they often fail to meet physical activity guidelines. 7,18 …”