Screening for Physical Activity Levels in Non-Metastatic Breast Cancer Patients Undergoing Surgery: An Observational...

Area of Science:

• Oncology
• Preventive Medicine
• Public Health

Background:

• Physical activity (PA) is crucial for lowering breast cancer (BC) risk, reducing treatment side effects, and improving survival.
• However, PA and nutritional screening are not standard care for BC patients post-diagnosis, even in specialized centers.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the physical activity and nutritional status of breast cancer patients before surgery.
• To determine the feasibility of incorporating PA and nutritional screening into standard preoperative care.

Main Methods:

• A preoperative screening of 504 consecutive BC patients was conducted from February 2019 to March 2020.
• The International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ) assessed activity levels.
• Nutritional screening included anthropometric measurements and Bioelectrical Impedance Analysis (BIA) for body composition.

Main Results:

• A significant majority of patients were physically inactive (47%) or moderately active (34%), with only 19% highly active.
• Nearly half of the patients (49%) were overweight or obese.
• Over half (55.2%) had excess body fat percentage.

Conclusions:

• Preoperative assessment of physical activity levels should be integrated into standard breast cancer care.
• Behavioral interventions promoting physical activity can enhance pre-habilitation and improve patient outcomes.
• IPAQ and body composition analysis are efficient tools for identifying patients needing support for activity during and after cancer treatment.