Physical activity in long-term breast cancer survivors – A mixed-methods approach

Psychosocial experiences of breast cancer survivors: a meta-review

PURPOSE

Advances in breast cancer care have led to a high rate of survivorship. This meta-review (systematic review of reviews) assesses and synthesises the voluminous qualitative survivorship evidence-base, providing a comprehensive overview of the main themes regarding breast cancer survivorship experiences, and areas requiring further investigation.

METHODS

Sixteen breast cancer reviews identified by a previous mixed cancer survivorship meta-review were included, with additional reviews published between 1998 and 2020, and primary papers published after the last comprehensive systematic review between 2018 and 2020, identified via database searches (MEDLINE, Embase, CINAHL, PsycINFO). Quality was assessed using the Joanna Briggs Institute Critical Appraisal Checklist for Systematic Reviews and the CASP (Critical Appraisal Skills Programme Qualitative) checklist for primary studies. A meta-ethnographic approach was used to synthesise data.

RESULTS

Of 1673 review titles retrieved, 9 additional reviews were eligible (25 reviews included in total). Additionally, 76 individual papers were eligible from 2273 unique papers. Reviews and studies commonly focused on specific survivorship groups (including those from ethnic minorities, younger/older, or with metastatic/advanced disease), and topics (including return to work). Eight themes emerged: (1) Ongoing impact and search for normalcy, (2) Uncertainty, (3) Identity: Loss and change, (4) Isolation and being misunderstood, (5) Posttraumatic growth, (6) Return to work, (7) Quality of care, and (8) Support needs and coping strategies.

CONCLUSIONS

Breast cancer survivors continue to face challenges and require interventions to address these.

IMPLICATIONS FOR CANCER SURVIVORS

Breast cancer survivors may need to prepare for ongoing psychosocial challenges in survivorship and proactively seek support to overcome these.

Do Breast Cancer Patients Manage to Participate in an Outdoor, Tailored, Physical Activity Program during Adjuvant Breast Cancer Treatment, Independent of Health and Socio-Demographic Characteristics?

Exercise could reduce the side-effects of adjuvant breast cancer treatment; however, socio-demographic, health, and intervention conditions may affect patients' adherence to interventions. This study aimed to examine adherence to a 12-month outdoor post-surgery exercise program among newly diagnosed breast cancer patients during adjuvant treatment, and to identify socio-demographic and health-related predictors. In total, 47 women with invasive breast cancer stage I-II or ductal/lobular carcinoma grade 3 were included pre-surgery and randomized two weeks post-surgery to exercise (2 × 60 min/week). Patient characteristics (body-mass index (BMI), socioeconomic status, comorbidity, physical activity, and maximal oxygen uptake (VO2max)) were recorded pre-surgery. Correlations between adherence and patient characteristics and statistics for between-group differences were performed. The mean age was 54.2 years, mean BMI 27.8 kg/m2, and 54.2% received chemotherapy. Completers had a mean adherence of 81%, independent of season. Withdrawals (23%) occurred after a mean of 6.5 weeks (0-24 weeks), they were suggestively older, had lower socioeconomic status and pre-surgery VO2max, and higher BMI. Household income was significantly lower among withdrawals. There were insignificant correlations between adherence and health conditions. High adherence is achievable in a Nordic outdoor physical exercise program in breast cancer patients during adjuvant treatment, including chemotherapy. Additional studies are needed to clarify follow-up needs in some groups.

Meaning Making for Psychological Adjustment and Quality of Life in Older Long-Term Breast Cancer Survivors

Objectives: This study aims to explore in depth the meaning and meaning discrepancies among older Norwegian breast cancer survivors in light of the meaning making model by Park (2013).

Design: We utilized a qualitative design collecting data using semi-structured interviews of 23 elderly breast cancer survivors 7–8 years after treatment. The interviews followed an interview guide structured along three main themes: “everyday life activities,” “follow-up-care experiences” and “health status and QoL.”

Results: Several health problems were reported by the women in the aftermaths of the disease, such as sleeping problems, pain, and fatigue—including cognitive and emotional impairments. Meaning discrepancies were concentrated on six main themes: shifting perspectives and priorities, growing sense of autonomy, widening the limits of normality, dissociating oneself from the disease, embracing alternative health services, and feeling lucky. The women engaged in a wide range of coping techniques as efforts to change global meaning, and to develop a more positive view on the cancer experience. Common coping efforts across the six main themes were social comparison, denial, positive reappraisal, problem-focused coping, and revaluing ordinary events.

Conclusion: Many cancer patients report on unmet needs for help with their meaning making, and the facilitation of meaning making processes is rarely included in the follow-up care of cancer survivors. The findings of the present study may help health care professionals provide care for women who have experienced breast cancer. The concrete knowledge of common coping efforts in the meaning making process may contribute to the development of future interventions and for gaining a deeper understanding for older survivors of breast cancer.

Social Disparities in Post-diagnosis Health Behaviors of Iranian Breast Cancer Survivors: The Mediating Role of Psychosocial Factors as Potential Buffering Agents

Background: Breast cancer (BC) is surging as a public health issue in Iran and engagement in positive health behaviors improves the odds of survival and reduces the risk of concomitant comorbidities in BC survivors. Objectives: The primary purpose of this study was to investigate the impact of socioeconomic inequalities on leisure-time physical activity (LTPA) and fruit and vegetable (F & V) consumption among Iranian BC survivors. Another objective of this study was to examine the role of psychosocial factors, such as stress, self-efficacy, and social support as mediators between socioeconomic status (SES) and these health behaviors. Few studies have investigated social disparities in the health behaviors of cancer survivors. Likewise, the mediating role of psychosocial factors in the SES-health behavior gradient has rarely been explored in the cancer context. Psychosocial factors might have positive implications for socioeconomically disadvantaged survivors. Methods: Cross-sectional data were obtained from 196 patients with BC by a telephone-administrated questionnaire. The Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) 2013 was partially employed to measure exercise and F & V consumption. Cross-sectional analyses (correlation and logistic regression) were conducted to assess the relationship between SES, psychosocial factors, and health behaviors (P < 0.05). Results: Regarding LTPA and F & V consumption, more than half of the survivors complied with the recommended levels, consecutively. Both education and family income exhibited a positive association with LTPA and F & V consumption. Furthermore, self-efficacy and social support showed a positive relationship with LTPA and F & V consumption. Conclusions: The SES impacted health behaviors directly and via intermediary psychosocial factors. The results can inform future studies and interventions; psychosocial factors could buffer the effects of social inequalities on health behaviors. A key policy priority should, therefore, be planning and implementing psychosocial empowerment interventions to promote exercise and a healthy diet among impoverished cancer survivors.

Evolution of physical activity and body weight changes in breast cancer survivors five years after diagnosis - VICAN 2 & 5 French national surveys

Background

Regular physical activity (PA) and healthy body weight have proven benefits on survival in breast cancer (BC) survivors. We aimed to define predictors of long-term PA and weight gain in a representative sample of BC survivors.

Methods

Data were analysed from 723 women with BC who participated in both the 2012 and 2015 French National VICAN surveys.

Results

Five years after diagnosis, 26.0, 60.6, and 13.4 % of BC survivors reported regular, occasional and no PA, respectively. Moreover, 27.4 % had a weight gain ≥5 kg. In multinomial logistic regressions, regular and occasional PA were both associated with not having depressive disorders, with higher post-traumatic growth, and with a healthy and stable Body Mass Index. Occasional PA was associated with the use of non-conventional medicine, and regular PA with better mental quality of life and normal arm mobility. Weight gain ≥5 kg was associated with younger age, heavier body weight at diagnosis, and lymphedema 5 years after diagnosis.

Conclusions

Mental well-being is associated with successful long-term patient investment in PA. Psychological support and early management of disease sequelae are needed to help ensure BC survivors engage in and maintain healthy lifestyles.

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A quarter of breast cancer survivors at 5 years reported regular physical activity.

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Occasional physical activity was associated with use of non-conventional medicine.

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Mental well-being was associated with long-term investment in physical activity.

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Early sequelae managing may help survivors engage in and maintain healthy lifestyles.

Neighborhood Characteristics and Cancer Survivorship: An Overview of the Current Literature on Neighborhood Landscapes and Cancer Care

There is a growing literature on the association between neighborhood contexts and cancer survivorship. To understand the current trends and the gaps in the literature, we aimed to answer the following questions: To what degree, and how, has cancer survivorship research accounted for neighborhood-level effects? What neighborhood metrics have been used to operationalize neighborhood factors? To what degree do the neighborhood level metrics considered in cancer research reflect neighborhood development as identified in the Leadership for Energy and Environmental Design for Neighborhood Development (LEED-ND) guidelines? We first conducted a review guided by PRISMA extension for scoping review of the extant literature on neighborhood effects and cancer survivorship outcomes from January 2000 to January 2021. Second, we categorized the studied neighborhood metrics under six main themes. Third, we assessed the findings based on the LEED-ND guidelines to identify the most relevant neighborhood metrics in association with areas of focus in cancer survivorship care and research. The search results were scoped to 291 relevant peer-reviewed journal articles. Results show that survivorship disparities, primary care, and weight management are the main themes in the literature. Additionally, most articles rely on neighborhood SES as the primary (or only) examined neighborhood level metric. We argue that the expansion of interdisciplinary research to include neighborhood metrics endorsed by current paradigms in salutogenic urban design can enhance the understanding of the role of socioecological context in survivorship care and outcomes.

Comparing the Effectiveness of a Wearable Activity Tracker in Addition to Counseling and Counseling Only to Reinforce Leisure-Time Physical Activity among Breast Cancer Patients: A Randomized Controlled Trial

This randomized controlled trial aimed to compare the effectiveness of a wearable activity tracker (WAT) in addition to counseling (WAT+counseling) and counseling only for reinforcing leisure-time physical activity (LTPA) among breast cancer patients during radiotherapy (RT). A total of 152 breast cancer patients who were planning to undergo radiation therapy (RT) after surgery participated in the study. The WAT+counseling group (n = 76) underwent physical activity (PA) self-monitoring using a WAT and participated in counseling. The counseling-only group (n = 76) received telephone counseling once a week during RT and did not receive WAT. The WAT+counseling group had increased relative change in self-reported LTPA (102.8) compared with the counseling-only group (57.8) immediately after RT compared to baseline. Although the relative changes of self-reported LTPA of the WAT+counseling group were higher at three and six months after the end of RT compared to in the counseling-only group, the results were not significant. The mean average daily step count of the WAT+counseling group was 9351.7, which increased to 11,592.2 during RT and 12,240.1 after RT. In the subgroup analysis, patients who did not perform regular PA before cancer diagnosis had significantly increased step counts. This study shows the feasibility of WAT with counseling to reinforce PA among breast cancer patients.

Characteristics of healthy behavior in Mexican women who survived breast cancer

OBJECTIVE

This paper aims to assess diet and lifestyle by designing a healthy behavior index (HBI) related to the educational level and time of breast cancer (BC) diagnosis.

METHODS

241 female breast cancer survivors treated at Centro Estatal de Cancerología (State Cancer Center) in Mexico were assessed based on dietary pattern, physical activity, smoking, alcohol consumption, body size and shape, sleep disorders with increasing scores that represent less healthy characteristics. The odds ratios (OR) and quartiles of the healthy behavior index and the time of diagnosis were estimated. The regression model was used to assess the association between HBI and the BC covariates.

RESULTS

The healthy behavior index for the two first quartiles was that of p < 0.001. The graphic behavior of correspondence with the covariates (age, schooling and moderate physical activity) showed a different three-dimensional effect on healthy behaviors. According to diagnosis time ≤ three years, the following covariates were significant: socioeconomic status, (OR: 4.34 CI 95% 1.2-9.5), sleep disturbances (p = 020) and protective intake of fruits and vegetables (p = 0.001). In the multivariate analysis, survivors with a high level of education are significantly more likely to show a healthy behavior (OR: 0.3 95% CI 0.12 - 0.8); as well as the early clinical stages (OR: 0.4 95% CI 0.2-0.9).

CONCLUSION

In breast cancer survivors, both the high level of education and early clinical stages were important healthy behavior modifiers.

PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS

Since diets are potentially modifiable, the findings may have further implications to promote a careful dietary pattern to prevent breast cancer. These variables should be assessed as a strategy in cancer survivor preventive programs.