(Montreal) Women who are in good physical shape at the time of their breast cancer diagnosis are less likely to report fatigue, depression or poor sleep in the three months following the diagnosis, researchers from the University of Alberta.
Published at 11:29 a.m.
Jean-Benoit Legault The Canadian Press
Patients who had poor cardiovascular fitness ― as measured by the maximum amount of oxygen an individual can use during intense or maximal exercise, VO2max ― may thus be up to three times more likely to report depressive symptoms; up to twice as likely to complain of fatigue; and up to 1.5 times more likely to have poor sleep quality, compared to patients with the best cardiovascular fitness.
This study, underlined Professor Hermann Nabi, of the Quebec University Hospital Research Center, stands out from previous ones which demonstrated that a diagnosis of breast cancer can cause symptoms of depression, fatigue and an anxiety disorder.
“(The authors) are trying to distinguish between the effect of the disease, or the effect of the diagnosis of the disease, versus what the treatments can cause,” he explained. And they show that people who are in good physical shape have a lower risk for these disorders. »
The researchers, he continues, “go a little further” and show that possible interventions must be put in place from the start, rather than waiting until patients have completed their treatment to tackle these symptoms.
Alberta researchers studied 1,458 participants in the Alberta Moving Beyond Breast Cancer Cohort Study. More than half of them, or 51.5%, reported poor sleep quality in the 90 days following their diagnosis, 26.5% reported significant fatigue and 10.4% reported severe fatigue. moderate depression.
These symptoms, remind the authors of the study, can have a negative impact on the outcome of treatment and on the survival rate.
Women with the poorest cardiovascular health were most likely to experience all three symptoms. The lowest risk was found in the fittest third or quarter of women.
“These results suggest that a physical intervention targeting relative cardiopulmonary fitness can help breast cancer patients effectively manage all three symptoms, particularly depressive symptoms, and prevent the onset of multiple symptoms. », write the researchers in the Journal of Sport and Health Science.
Even more specifically, they add, these findings highlight the importance of maintaining a healthy body weight as a “critical strategy” for managing sleep quality. The data also suggests that upper body muscular endurance, in addition to cardiopulmonary fitness, “may play a crucial role in fatigue management.”
“Therefore,” the authors say, “the optimal exercise prescription for symptom management in patients with newly diagnosed breast cancer may vary depending on the specific symptom. »
It might therefore be appropriate to recommend that women who are diagnosed with breast cancer start or continue to exercise a little, even if it is probably not what they most want at that time ― especially since multiple studies have demonstrated the effectiveness of physical activity in countering depression, fatigue and poor quality sleep, whether or not these problems are linked to a cancer diagnosis.
“No one can question the benefits of physical activity today,” said Professor Nabi. We cannot be against virtue. A woman who is diagnosed with breast cancer would have nothing to lose and everything to gain by making a move. »
