Physical Activity and Breast Cancer Survivors - Essay Example

? Physical Activity and Breast Cancer Survivors Breast cancer is one of the most prevailing cancers among women in the US. It is estimated that every1 in 8 women in the US is likely to develop breast cancer in lifetime. It is the second leading cancer after lung cancer in women. Incidents of female breast cancer had its peak in 2000 and there after it began decreasing due to several health initiatives that include women relinquishing hormone therapy after menopause. Mortality Counts from Breast Cancer Estimated Breast cancer deaths by age (years), 2013 Age Group 45 and older Younger than 45 All ages Deaths from Breast cancer 37,160 2,460 39,620 Source:http://www.cancer.org/acs/groups/content/@epidemiologysurveilance/documents/document/acspc-037115.pdf The following table illustrates that more than half of the deaths occur at age 65 and above Age Group 65 and older Younger than 65 All ages Deaths from Breast cancer 22,850 16,770 39,620 Source:http://www.cancer.org/acs/groups/content/@epidemiologysurveilance/documents/document/acspc-037115.pdf Risk Factors of Breast Cancer Breast cancer risk factors increase along with the age of woman. Gene defects cause breast cancer in 5-10% of breast cancer incidents and it could be due to inheritance. It has been found that mutation in BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes increase the risk of breast cancer up to 80 percent. Other gene mutations can also cause breast cancer; however, they do not pose very high risks. Genetic testing is possible to know about mutations in the BRCA genes. Breast cancer in close relatives such as mother, sister or daughter increases the risk of breast cancer 2-3 fold in woman; however, it has been found that over 85% of women developing breast cancer do not have any family history. White women have slightly more chance than African-American women. Surprisingly, Asian, Native-American and Hispanic women show a lower risk of developing breast cancer. Longer menstrual cycles that begin early and last longer up to age 55 also pose higher risk because of increased exposure to the hormones. Oral contraceptives also increase the risk of breast cancer (American Cancer Society, 2013). The 5-year Survival Rate for Breast Cancer Patients The 5-year survival rate for breast cancer patient indicates about the percentage of people that survive full 5 years after they are diagnosed first time with the breast cancer. The 5-year survival rate with the breast cancer patients in stage I is 100%. The survival rate decreases with increase in the stage of cancers in the patients. The 5-year survival rate of the patients in stage II, III and IV are 93%, 72% and 22% respectively (American Cancer Society, 2013). Issues with Survivors Women face several issues after breast treatment is over. Fatigue from chemotherapy or mental changes impacting memory and unable to focus on the task are some of the common issues that the breast cancer survivors often face. Researchers from the University of Missouri state that stress also causes cognitive issues in breast cancer patients. Around 14%-17% of women had the memory problems while almost 11%-27% of women have some kind of language and word issues. Physiological changes in response to stress are also responsible toward this condition (Simon, 2012). Physical Activity – Helps Cope up the Issues Physical activity greatly helps in mitigating the effect of several issues that breast cancer survival faces. Weight gain is common among breast cancer patients. Physical activity helps lower blood estrogens levels and enhances immunity of the body that help fight destroy cancer cells. Physical activity tends to increase overall quality of life (Holmes et al, 2005) Guidelines and Recommendation for Physical Activity According to guidelines by American Cancer Society, breast cancer patients must return to usual normal daily activities at the earliest possible time, once they are diagnosed with a breast cancer. Cancer survivors are recommended to indulge in regular physical activity to the extent of at least 150 minutes in a week. Moreover, strength training exercises are recommended for at least 2 days in a week. Maintaining a normal weight coupled with active lifestyle is essential for a long-term health improvement. Several observational studies conclude that cancer recurrences are greatly reduced through physically active lives among cancer survivors (U.S Department of Health & Human Services, 2013). Need for Physical Activity Programs Geared to Help Survivors Cancer survivors need to exercise caution while engaging with physical activity, especially the survivors with severe fatigue are recommended to begin with light exercises for 10 minutes daily. Survivors who are found to be anemic must delay exercise regimen until they have recovered from anemic condition (U.S Department of Health & Human Services, 2013). Literature Review Showing Benefits of Physical Activity for Cancer Survivors A wide variety of literature strongly recommends physical activity and exercise regimen to cancer survivors; some of them can be described as per the following. 1. “Essential Exercises for Breast Cancer Survivors” by Amy Halverstadt and Andrea Leonard. The authors themselves became victim of breast cancer. They have tailored a detailed exercise program for breast cancer survivors and have explained how that can improve the life of survivors. They have suggested a variety of exercises that include weight lifting and aerobic exercise. They have described several benefits of physical exercise that include controlling weight, improving psychological and emotional state and reducing risk of recurrence. 2. “Cancer Survivorship” by Patricia A. Ganz The author categorically states that exercise or physical activity reduces fatigue among cancer patients. "The collective evidence is that increasing physical activity may improve quality of life and it reduces survivor fatigue following cancer treatment" (Ganz, 2007 p.16). 3. “Reduce your cancer Risk: Twelve steps to a healthier life” by Barbara Bougton and Michael Stefanek As per the research studies published in Nature Reviews cancer in 2008, authors emphasize that "women with a history of breast cancer who engage in 2 to 3 hours per week of brisk walking have a significantly lower risk of breast cancer recurrence" (Bougton & Stefanek, 2010 p 5). Exercise provides emotional and psychological benefits. Slow walking, housework fall in the light category of physical activity. According to the authors brisk walking, dancing, slow swimming, yoga can benefit immensely as moderate physical activities. Fast walking, tennis, aerobic exercise, rapid cycling, climbing stairs are vigorous exercises and can help significantly in reducing cancer risk. 4. “Physical Activity and Breast Cancer Survival” by Adeyemi A Ogunleye1 and Michelle D Holmes The authors argue that physical activity greatly improves life of a patient with a breast cancer diagnosis. In one of the NHS study, women who did 3-5 hours per week of walking had reduced the risk of dying of breast cancer by half. In another study, the mortality rate after physical activity reduced substantially by 45%. Thus, there is enough evidence that exercise and physical activity helps enormously and it needs to be incorporated for each breast cancer survivor. References American Cancer Society (2013). Breast Cancer. Retrieved November 25, 2013 from http://www.cancer.org/cancer/breastcancer/detailedguide/breast-cancer-risk-factors Holmes, M.D.; Chen, W.Y.; Feskanich, D.; Kroenke, C.H. Colditz, G. A. (2005). Physical Activity and Survival After Breast Cancer Diagnosis. The Journal of the American Medical Association. Retrieved November 25, 2013 from http://jama.jamanetwork.com/article.aspx?articleid=200955 Simon, S. (2012). Stress and Memory Problems in Breast Cancer Patients. American Cancer Society. Retrieved November 25, 2013 from http://www.cancer.org/cancer/news/stress-and-memory-problems-in-breast-cancer-patients U.S Department of Health & Human Services (2013). National Guideline Clearinghouse. Retrieved November 25, 2013 from http://www.guideline.gov/content.aspx?id=37279 Book Reviews References Bougton, B.; Stefanek, M. (2010). Reduce your cancer Risk: Twelve steps to a healthier life. Demos Medical Publishing. Ganz, P. A. (2007). Cancer Survivorship. UCLA schools of Public Health and Medicine. Springer. Los Angeles. Halverstadt, A.; Leonard, A. (2000). Essential Exercises for Breast Cancer Survivors. The Harvard Common Press. Boston. Ogunleye1, A. A; Holmes, M. D. (2009). Physical activity and breast cancer survival. Retrieved November 25, 2013 from http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2790838/ Read More