The impact of multidisciplinary weight management on body weight and body mass composition in women with breast cancer post-adjuvant chemotherapy: a retrospective chart review

Introduction: Weight gain during chemotherapy for breast cancer is a well-documented adverse effect. The purpose of this study was to investigate how multidisciplinary weight management involving endocrinology, dietitian and exercise physiology care, in a real-life healthy weight clinic (HWC) would impact body weight and mass composition in breast cancer women post-adjuvant chemotherapy compared to a cohort of non-cancer women who have been matched by age, ethnicity, smoking and menopausal status. Methods: Body weight (kg), BMI (kg/m²), skeletal muscle mass (SMM %), fat mass (FM %) and waist circumference (cm) were collected at baseline of the first HWC appointment, three-months after baseline, and six-months after baseline. A total of 32 women were included, 11 in the breast cancer cohort and 21 in the control cohort, that matched inclusion and exclusion criteria based on a retrospective chart review from 28th July 2017 to 19th July 2021. Results: By six-months, the breast cancer women had a mean weight change of -6.99kg (SD=3.87, p=.003, n=11) and change in BMI by -2.72kg/m² (SD=1.62, p=.004, n=11). There was a change in SMM of 1.21% (SD=0.73, p=.005, n=11), a change in FM of -2.76% (SD=1.33, p=.002, n=11) and a change in waist circumference of -8.13cm (SD=4.21, p=.031, n=3). By six-months in the breast cancer cohort, there was a larger change in body weight in women who did not have MetS (-8.72kg, SD=2.41, n=6) in comparison to women with MetS (-2.65kg, SD=3.75kg, n=3) (p=.045). Conclusion: Findings indicate that multidisciplinary weight management has a positive role in early-stage breast cancer survival through improving body weight and mass composition. These results can add to the development of long-term treatment plans for survivors in order to shine a light on ways to reduce risk recurrence and chronic disease mortality.