Exercise Associated With Reduced Risk of Cardiovascular Events in Women With Nonmetastatic Breast Cancer
Greater levels of leisure-time physical activity were associated with a reduced risk for cardiovascular disease events in women with nonmetastatic breast cancer, according to a study reported by Jones et al in the Journal of Clinical Oncology.
Study Details
The study involved 2,973 women (mean age = 57 years) from two registry-based, regional cohort studies. Patients completed a questionnaire assessing leisure-time recreational physical activity measured as metabolic equivalent task (MET)-h/wk. The primary endpoint was the first occurrence of any new diagnosis of coronary artery disease, heart failure, valve abnormality, arrhythmia, stroke, or cardiovascular disease death.
Reduced Risk
Median follow-up was 8.6 years. In multivariate analysis, the incidence of cardiovascular disease events decreased with increasing total MET-h/wk categories (P < .001 for trend). Compared with patients with < 2 MET-h/wk, adjusted hazard ratios (HRs) were 0.91 (95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.76–1.09) for 2 to 10.9 MET-h/wk, 0.79 (95% CI = 0.66–0.96) for 11 to 24.5 MET-h/wk, and 0.65 (95% CI = 0.53–0.80) for ≥ 24.5 MET-h/wk. A similar trend was observed for both the incidence of coronary artery disease and heart failure (both P < .05).
Patients meeting the national exercise guidelines for adult patients with cancer of ≥ 9 MET-h/wk had an adjusted 23% reduction in the risk of cardiovascular disease events vs those not meeting the guideline. The association of increased exercise with reduced cardiovascular disease risk was not affected by age, cardiovascular disease risk factors, menopausal status, or type of cancer treatment.
The investigators concluded: “Exercise is associated with substantial, graded reductions in the incidence of cardiovascular events in women with nonmetastatic breast cancer.”
The study was supported by the National Institutes of Health, the National Cancer Institute, and a Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center support grant/core grant.
Lee W. Jones, PhD, of Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, is the corresponding author of the Journal of Clinical Oncology article.
The content in this post has not been reviewed by the American Society of Clinical Oncology, Inc. (ASCO®) and does not necessarily reflect the ideas and opinions of ASCO®.
