Abstract
Background/Introduction/Objective: Premenopausal women treated for breast cancer are at high risk for bone loss. This trial examined the effects of a 1-year combined aerobic and resistance exercise program on bone mineral density (BMD) in women treated for premenopausal breast cancer. Materials and Methods: Premenopausal women (n = 206) age ≤ 55 years at cancer diagnosis who were within two years of receiving adjuvant chemotherapy were randomized to a 12-month exercise program or a control group. BMD was measured by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry at baseline and after 1 year; blood was drawn for skeletal markers. Change from baseline to end of study was compared within and between treatment groups using paired and unpaired t-tests. Results: Lumbar spine BMD declined in both treatment groups with no significant difference between treatment groups (-0.008 ± 0.003 g/cm 2 exercise vs. -0.014 ± 0.003 g/cm 2 control, p = 0.24). However, among the women who did not lose lean mass during the study (n = 100, 54 control, 46 exercise), the exercise intervention prevented lumbar spine bone loss (0.001 ± 0.005 g/cm 2 treatment group vs. -0.014 ± 0.005 g/cm 2 control group, p = 0.03). Bone turnover markers decreased significantly in both groups with no differences between groups. Conclusions: Among women who maintained lean mass, our exercise intervention prevented bone loss; however, our intervention did not prevent bone loss among women who lost muscle mass. Additional investigation into exercise regimens that can prevent both bone and muscle loss may help prevent long-term consequences of premenopausal breast cancer treatment.
Original language | English (US) |
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Pages (from-to) | 87-92 |
Number of pages | 6 |
Journal | Journal of Women's Health |
Volume | 28 |
Issue number | 1 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - Jan 2019 |
Keywords
- Bone density
- Bone loss
- Breast cancer
- Exercise
- Osteoporosis
- Premenopausal
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Medicine(all)