Gaining weight following a diagnosis of invasive breast cancer could increase a woman’s risk of death from the disease by more than half, according to researchers leading the Collaborative Women’s Longevity Study. In fact, the researchers associated weight gain with a measurable increase in risk of death due to all causes, not just breast cancer.

“Our findings provide additional support for the benefits of maintaining a healthy weight and exercising,” said Hazel B. Nichols, a doctoral student in the Department of Epidemiology at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. “According to our results, there is a 14 percent increase in risk for every five kilograms - about 11 pounds - of weight gained.”

To analyze the effect of weight gain on breast cancer survival, Nichols and her colleagues contacted women who had taken part in one of three previous studies begun in 1988 at sites in Wisconsin, Massachusetts and New Hampshire.

Between 1998 and 2001, Nichols’ team surveyed the women about post-diagnosis weight, weight gain, physical activity, diet and related items.

Of the original 4,021 breast cancer patients, the researchers identified 121 breast cancer-related deaths and 428 total deaths. For women classified as obese by body mass index - a measure of weight and height - the risk of dying from breast cancer was nearly 2.4 times that of women classified with a normal body weight. “Obesity was associated with risk of death even after accounting for age, menopausal status or smoking,” Nichols said.

Nichols’ study was funded by the Susan G. Komen for the Cure Breast Cancer Foundation.

The mission of the American Association for Cancer Research is to prevent and cure cancer. Founded in 1907, AACR is the world’s oldest and largest professional organization dedicated to advancing cancer research. The membership includes nearly 27,000 basic, translational, and clinical researchers; health care professionals; and cancer survivors and advocates in the United States and more than 70 other countries. AACR marshals the full spectrum of expertise from the cancer community to accelerate progress in the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of cancer through high-quality scientific and educational programs. It funds innovative, meritorious research grants. The AACR Annual Meeting attracts more than 17,000 participants who share the latest discoveries and developments in the field. Special Conferences throughout the year present novel data across a wide variety of topics in cancer research, treatment, and patient care. AACR publishes five major peer-reviewed journals: Cancer Research; Clinical Cancer Research; Molecular Cancer Therapeutics; Molecular Cancer Research; and Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention. Its most recent publication and its sixth major journal, Cancer Prevention Research, is the only journal worldwide dedicated exclusively to cancer prevention, from preclinical research to clinical trials. The AACR also publishes CR, a magazine for cancer survivors, patient advocates, their families, physicians, and scientists. CR provides a forum for sharing essential, evidence-based information and perspectives on progress in cancer research, survivorship, and advocacy.

American Association for Cancer Research