Longer Times of Receipt of Adjuvant Endocrine Therapy Correspond to Improved Functional Capacity and Lower Adiposity in Women Receiving Adjuvant Therapy

Abstract

This clinical research studied functional capacity level, length of time of receipt of therapy with aromatase inhibitors (AIs), and adiposity parameters. Women with breast cancer in the first years of the use of AIs showed greater functional disability and worse adiposity parameters, thus reinforcing the need for special attention during this time and emphasizing the importance of multiprofessional follow-up. Purpose: To study the use of functional capacity (FC) level and duration of aromatase inhibitor (AI) therapy with adiposity parameters in women with breast cancer. Patients and Methods: FC was evaluated through the Health Assessment Questionnaire, which was assessed by classification and divided into 3 groups: G1 ¼ mild to moderate difficulty, G2 ¼ moderate to severe disability, and G3 ¼ severe or very severe disability. Body mass, height, and waist circumference (WC) were measured, and body mass index (BMI) was calculated. Bioelectrical impedance analysis was used to calculate body fat (BF) and fat-free mass. The women were divided into 2 time groups (T1 and T2), which were determined by the median months of AI use (T1 29.5 and T2 > 29.5 months). Results: Impaired FC and adiposity parameters were significantly positively correlated. In addition, physical exercise was significantly lower in women assessed as G2 and G3 compared to those assessed as G1. The effect of FC on BMI, BF, and WC was also verified, as was the effect of the duration of AI receipt on BMI and BF. Women at T1 had significantly greater functional disability, BMI, and BF values. In addition, although not statistically significant, women in T1 who were assessed as G3 presented higher BMI, WC, and BF values than those in T2. Conclusion: Adiposity above the recommended parameters and impaired FC were associated with the shortest time of receipt of adjuvant endocrine therapy with AI.

The impact of age on physical functioning after treatment for breast cancer, as measured by patient-reported outcome measures: A systematic review

“… Paskett et al (2008) [ 86 ] USA 5,021 50–79 SF-36 a Participants diagnosed with breast cancer aged >55 years had more difficulties with physical functioning (β = −1.62; p < 0.001) when compared to participants who had not had cancer. Pires de Carvalho et al (2019) [ 87 ] Brazil 89 58–70 The Health Assessment Questionnaire Age had no significant correlation with physical functioning. Quinten et al (2018) [ 88 ] Belgium 109 70–90 EORTC QLQ-C30 a Older age was significantly associated with a poorer physical functioning in a correlation (p = 0.001).…”

“…These studies generally scored well on the risk of bias (quality) assessment, with a mean score of 21. Six studies (20.7 %) [ 72 , 62 , 70 , 77 , 79 , 87 ] found that age did not have a significant impact on physical functioning. These studies had a slightly lower mean score of 19 on the risk of bias (quality) assessment.…”

“…This systematic review used broad search terms ( Appendix A ) due to the possibility of studies meeting the inclusion criteria that did not specifically aim to measure physical functioning, but instead aiming to measure other concepts such as quality of life, in which physical functioning was one of the measured components. Of the 44 studies with age sub-groups, only seven (15.9 %) specifically aimed to measure physical functioning post-treatment [ 12 , 13 , 57 , 68 , 84 , 87 , 94 ]. This reflects the need for increased awareness, further development of knowledge and research with a specific focus on physical functioning after treatment for breast cancer [ 9 , 10 ].…”