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J Med Oncl Ther 2017 | Volume 2 Issue 3
Breast Cancer November 01-02, 2017 | Toronto, Canada
7th World Congress on
Breast cancer (BC) is largely a disease of aging, with most
new cases diagnosed in womenwho are postmenopausal.
In the 70-80% of these women whose BC tumors are
hormone receptor positive (HR+), national guidelines call for
adjuvant endocrine treatment that includes an aromatase
inhibitor (AI). Most women on an AI (74%) report joint pain,
stiffness or achiness (arthralgia), and for many women these
symptoms are moderate to severe. As AIs are prescribed
for 5 years and potentially as many as 10 years, moderate-
to-severe AI-arthralgia can be a factor in AI discontinuation
and suboptimal adherence, and compromises quality
of life in survivorship. This study investigated whether a
home-based walking program (adapted from the Arthritis
Foundations’ Walk With Ease program) could provide a
safe and effective approach to managing AI-Arthralgia. A
randomized controlled trial compared women who were
asked to walk at least 150 minutes per week over a 6-week
period (Intervention) with Wait List Control. Our final sample
(N=62) had a mean age of 64 years and 74% are white. At
six weeks, Intervention participants reported significantly
increased walking minutes/week (p<0.01), reduced stiffness
(p<0.05), fewer limitations in activities of daily living (ADL)
(p<0.01), and increased confidence in managing their joint
symptoms (p<0.01). At 6 months post-intervention, stiffness
and ADL benefits had been maintained, although walking
minutes/week had decreased. This study contributes to the
growing evidence that exercise can be a safe and effective
alternative or complement to medications for AI-arthralgia
management.
e:
Home-based exercise to manage aromatase inhibitor (AI) associated arthralgia in women diagnosed
with early breast cancer1
Kirsten Nyrop
University of North Carolina, USA