A behavior change intervention for breast cancer survivors based on the social cognitive theory is feasible and results in potentially meaningful improvements in physical activity and selected health outcomes. Confirmation in a larger study is warranted.

Background Physical activity may provide benefits for breast cancer survivors in part by reducing systemic inflammation. Physical activity behavior change studies are a type of implementation research in which exercise efficacy information is translated into a “real world” setting, allowing determination of whether physical activity changes are sufficient to improve health outcomes. We hypothesized that breast cancer survivors (BCS) who undertook a physical activity behavior change intervention would have less systemic inflammation and improved cardiorespiratory fitness, muscle strength, body composition, fatigue, and sleep as compared with BCS receiving usual care. The goal of this pilot study was to determine the magnitude and direction of intervention effect sizes for inflammatory related serum markers and relevant health outcomes. Methods This randomized controlled trial enrolled 28 Stage I, II, or IIIA BCS who were post-primary treatment and were not regular exercisers. These women were assigned to either a 3-month physical activity behavior change intervention group (ING) or usual care group (UCG). Intervention included supervised aerobic (150 weekly minutes, moderate-intensity) and resistance (two sessions per week) exercise that gradually tapered to home-based exercise. At baseline and after 3 months, health outcomes and serum concentrations of interleukin (IL)-1 beta, IL-6, IL-8, IL-10, tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha, leptin, and adiponectin were measured. Results Cardiorespiratory fitness significantly improved in the ING versus UCG (between group difference=3.8 ml/kg/min; d=1.1; P=0.015). Self-reported sleep latency was significantly reduced in the ING versus UCG (between group difference=−0.5; d=−1.2; P=0.02) as was serum leptin (between group difference=−9.0 ng/ml; d=−1.0; P=0.031). Small to medium non-significant negative effect sizes were noted for IL-10 and TNF-alpha and ratios of IL-6:IL-10, IL-8:IL10, and TNF-alpha:IL-10, with non-significant positive effect sizes noted for IL-6 and high molecular weight adiponectin. Conclusions Physical activity behavior change interventions in BCS can achieve large effect size changes for several health outcomes. Although effect sizes for inflammatory markers were often small and not significant, changes were in the hypothesized direction for all except IL-6 and IL-10. These preliminary data support larger trials that would more fully examine potential inflammatory changes that accompany physical activity behavior change interventions.

Purpose To identify risk factors for chemotherapy-related nausea. Methods We examined risk factors for nausea in 1696 patients from three multicenter studies conducted from 1998 to 2004. All patients were beginning a chemotherapy regimen containing cisplatin, carboplatin, or doxorubicin. Nausea was assessed on a 1 – 7 scale four times a day for four days by diary Results 1) Average nausea for breast cancer patients receiving doxorubicin (mean = 2.31) was significantly greater than for other patients receiving doxorubicin (mean 1.82), patients receiving cisplatin (mean 1.88) and patients receiving carboplatin (mean 1.45), Ps<0.01. 2) Mean nausea decreased steadily with age, P<0.0001. 3) Patients rating themselves more susceptible to nausea had significantly more nausea (adjusted mean = 2.51) than patients rating themselves less susceptible (adjusted mean = 1.92) and were 2.8 times more likely to experience severe nausea, Ps<0.0001. 4) Expected nausea was a significant predictor of average nausea, P=0.034, but not severe nausea, P=0.31. 5) No evidence that gender is a significant predictor of nausea in 299 patients with gender neutral cancers, P=0.35. Conclusions Specific patient characteristics, especially younger age and perceived susceptibility to nausea, can help clinicians in the early identification of patients who are more susceptible to treatment-related nausea.

SummaryBackground-Despite widespread use of short-acting antagonists for the 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT) receptor, about 50% of patients given moderately emetogenic chemotherapy have delayed nausea. We aimed to assess whether a 5-HT-receptor antagonist was more effective than was prochlorperazine for control of delayed nausea and delayed vomiting caused by doxorubicin.

Purpose Cancer-related fatigue (CRF) is a prevalent and distressing side effect of cancer and its treatment that remains inadequately understood and poorly managed. A better understanding of the factors contributing to CRF could result in more effective strategies for the prevention and treatment of CRF. The objectives of this study were to examine the prevalence, severity and potential predictors for the early onset of CRF after chemotherapy cycle 1 in breast cancer patients. Methods We report on a secondary data analysis of 548 female breast cancer patients from a phase III multi-center randomized controlled trial examining antiemetic efficacy. CRF was assessed by the Brief Fatigue Inventory at pre- and post-chemotherapy cycle 1 as well as by the four-day diary. Results The prevalence of clinically relevant post-CRF was 75%. Linear regression showed that pre-treatment CRF, greater nausea, disturbed sleep, and younger age were significant risk factors for post-CRF (adjusted R2=0.39; P<0.0001). Path modeling showed that nausea severity influenced post-CRF both directly and indirectly by influencing disturbed sleep. Similarly, pre-treatment CRF influenced post-CRF directly as well as indirectly through both nausea severity and disturbed sleep. Pearson correlations showed that changes in CRF over time were significantly correlated with concurrent changes in nausea severity (r=0.41; P<0.0001) and in disturbed sleep (r=0.20; P<0.0001). Conclusion This study showed a high prevalence (75%) of clinically relevant CRF in breast cancer patients following their initial chemotherapy, and that nausea severity, disturbed sleep, pre-treatment CRF, and age were significant predictors of symptom.