Physical activity during and after breast cancer therapy and associations of baseline physical activity with changes in cardiac function by echocardiography

Abstract

Background Observational studies suggest that regular physical activity may reduce cardiovascular morbidity and cancer recurrence in survivors of breast cancer. The association between physical activity and cardiac function with breast cancer therapy is unknown. Methods Self‐reported physical activity was assessed using the Godin Leisure‐Time Exercise Questionnaire at repeated intervals in a longitudinal cohort study of 603 breast cancer participants treated with doxorubicin and/or trastuzumab. Multivariable regression models estimated associations between clinical variables and physical activity. Generalized estimating equations adjusted for prespecified variables estimated associations between baseline physical activity and longitudinal echocardiographic measures of systolic and diastolic function. Results Physical activity was low at baseline, prior to cancer therapy initiation. More than half of participants reported no moderate‐strenuous physical activity, and only 12.1% met guideline recommended levels of physical activity. Physical activity increased after chemotherapy completion; however, only 26.0% of individuals were sufficiently active 3 years after cancer diagnosis. Body mass index, hyperlipidemia and higher cancer stage were significantly associated with lower total physical activity at baseline. Higher baseline physical activity was very modestly associated with an attenuation in the absolute decline in left ventricular ejection fraction over time (β 0.4%, 95% CI 0.1, 0.7, P = .02 for each 10‐unit increase in total activity). There tended to be a cardioprotective association with cardiotoxicity risk, although this was not statistically significant (HR 0.83, 95% CI 0.66, 1.04, P = .097). Conclusions A small proportion of breast cancer patients and survivors are engaged in regular moderate‐strenuous physical activity. While only modest associations between self‐reported physical activity and left ventricular systolic function were observed, our findings do not exclude a cardioprotective benefit of exercise.

Toward a Better Understanding of the Differential Impact of Heart Failure Phenotypes After Breast Cancer

“…This may be due to treatment with cancer therapies, such as radiation to the chest, proteasome inhibitors, and tyrosine kinase inhibitors, known to increase microvascular endothelial damage, vascular stiffness, fibrosis, and hypertension. 26 However, to our knowledge, an elevated HFpEF risk has not been documented in survivors of these cancers.…”

Breast cancer chemotherapy vascular toxicity: a review of mediating mechanisms and exercise as a potential therapeutic

“…Additionally, more leisure-time physical activity was associated with reduced CVD risk in an 8-year follow-up study of breast cancer women treated with chemotherapy ( 22 ). Moreover, aerobic fitness has an inverse association with chemotherapy-induced cardiac fibrosis incidence ( 23 ), and higher baseline physical activity is associated with an attenuation in the usual decline in LVEF ( 24 ). Aerobic fitness can be enhanced with exercise training and therefore adds to the evidence that exercise could potentially reduce cardiotoxicity of chemotherapy.…”

Cardiotoxicity is mitigated after a supervised exercise program in HER2-positive breast cancer undergoing adjuvant trastuzumab

“…Physical exercise is increasingly recognized as an effective non-pharmacological approach to counteracting the adverse effects of cancer therapy (26)(27)(28)(29)(30)(31)(32)(33)(34)(35). Nevertheless, data are sparse regarding the effects of physical exercise on cardiac toxicity induced by adjuvant treatment with trastuzumab.…”