Background The effect of preoperative physical activity on recovery and complications after primary breast cancer surgery is unknown. The objective of this trial was to evaluate whether a recommendation of non-supervised physical activity improved recovery after breast cancer surgery. Methods This parallel, unblinded, multicentre interventional trial randomized women in whom breast cancer surgery was planned. The intervention consisted of an individual recommendation of added aerobic physical activity (30 min/day), before and 4 weeks after surgery. The control group did not receive any advice regarding physical activity. The primary outcome was patient-reported physical recovery at 4 weeks after surgery. Secondary outcomes included mental recovery, complications, reoperations, and readmissions. Results Between November 2016 and December 2018, 400 patients were randomized, 200 to each group. Some 370 participants (180 intervention, 190 control) remained at 4 weeks, and 368 at 90 days. There was no significant difference in favour of the intervention for the primary outcome physical recovery (risk ratio (RR) 1.03, 95 per cent c.i. 0.95 to 1.13). There was also no difference for mental recovery (RR 1.05, 0.93 to 1.17) nor in mean Comprehensive Complication Index score (4.2 (range 0–57.5) versus 4.7 (0–58.3)) between the intervention and control groups. Conclusion An intervention with recommended non-supervised physical activity before and after breast cancer surgery did not improve recovery at 4 weeks after surgery. Registration number: NCT02560662 (http://www.clinicaltrials.gov).

PurposeA gold standard for evaluation of aesthetic outcome after breast-conserving therapy (BCT) is still lacking. The BCCT.core software has been developed to assess aesthetic result in a standardised way. We aimed to study how the result of BCCT.core after BCT is associated with quality of life, measured with the BREAST-Q™, a validated questionnaire.MethodsWomen eligible for BCT were consecutively recruited between February 1st 2008 and January 31st 2012 (n = 653). Photographs of 310 women, taken one year after BCT, were evaluated using the BCCT.core software. The postoperative BCT module of the BREAST-Q™ questionnaire was administered by mail and 348 questionnaires were returned (median 5.5 years after BCT). In all, 216 women had both BCCT.core results and completed BREAST-Q™ questionnaires available.ResultsThe results from the BCCT.core evaluation were: excellent n = 49 (15.8%); good n = 178 (57.4%); fair n = 73 (23.5%); poor n = 10 (3.2%). The median BREAST-Q™ score for satisfaction with breasts was 66 [interquartile range (IQR) 57–80] and for psychosocial well-being 82 (IQR 61–100). Poor/fair results on BCCT.core were associated with Q-scores below median for both satisfaction with breasts [odds ratio (OR) 3.4 (confidence interval (CI) 1.7–6.8)] as well as for psychosocial well-being [OR 2.2 (CI 1.1–4.2)].ConclusionsA statistically significant association between BCCT.core results one year after BCT and quality of life ratings using BREAST-Q™ several years later is shown in this study. This implies that the BCCT.core may be valuable in BCT follow-up and used as a standardised instrument in the evaluation of aesthetic results.

The current findings may suggest a role for ACh in colon carcinogenesis/cancer progression; the data obtained could have prognostic and/or therapeutic significance for this disease.