Exercise Could Reduce Risk Of Death Among Breast Cancer Patients, Study Finds

Topline

Even a moderate level of physical activity can reduce the risk of death among women diagnosed with breast cancer, researchers found in a new study, adding to a well-documented connection between exercise and reduced risk of developing breast cancer.

Breast cancer patients who participate in physical exercise have a lower risk of death, according to … [+] a new study.

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Key Facts

Researchers in the study published Thursday in JAMA found the mortality rate among 315 women diagnosed with breast cancer between 1996 and 2012 in California increased the less time they spent engaged in physical activity.

Women surveyed who consider themselves “active,” had a mortality rate of 12.9 per 1,000 person-years (the total number of years analyzed in the study lived among participants), according to the study.

The mortality rate increases to 13.4 per 1,000 person-years among women who engage in “moderate” physical activity, and to 32.9 per 1,000 person-years among women who consider themselves “insufficiently active.”

Big Number

60%. That’s how much the risk of death decreased among breast cancer survivors in the study who said they’re at least moderately active, compared to participants who were “insufficiently active.” That finding prompted researchers to suggest breast cancer care should incorporate physical activity “because even moderate activity may be vital for extending survival as well as health-related quality of life.”

Contra

Although the study’s findings appear to be compelling evidence linking physical activity to a greater survival rate among women diagnosed with breast cancer, researchers admit the study faced two key limitations. One was a lack of information on participants’ diets. The second was that researchers had to rely on participants’ survey answers to questionnaires on physical activity levels without the assistance of technological devices that could provide quantitative data.

Key Background

Previous studies have shown some level of physical activity can not only reduce mortality rates among breast cancer patients, but also reduce the risk of developing breast cancer. A 2013 study by the American Cancer Society found walking for at least one hour a day could be enough to reduce the risk of developing breast cancer, with women who walked seven hours a week having a 14% reduced risk of developing it. Among younger women, however, there might be less of a connection. A 1998 study from the Journal of the National Cancer Institute found women who engaged in strenuous physical activity at least twice a week in high school and between the ages of 18-22 had only a 1.1% reduced risk of developing cancer.

Tangent

Roughly 264,000 women and 2,400 men in the U.S. are diagnosed with breast cancer each year, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Breast cancer kills around 42,000 women and 500 men nationally each year.