Female Cancer Survivors Have Comparatively Poor Health Habits

Recent findings show that female cancer survivors receiving screening mammography display “worse health behaviors” than women receiving mammography screening who have never had cancer.

The study, conducted by researchers at Moffitt Cancer Center in Tampa, FL, and the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN, was published in a recent issue of the American Journal of Clinical Oncology.

Researchers surveyed 19,948 women aged 35 and older with no previous breast cancer receiving mammography screening. Their responses were compared with those from 2713 cancer survivors also receiving mammography screening. The health behaviors evaluated included alcohol use, physical activity, smoking habits, weight status, and vitamin intake.

Comparisons illustrated:

• The most frequent alcohol users were younger cancer survivors
• Compared with patients with no cancer history, cancer survivors were less likely to participate in “strenuous exercise”
• Higher rates of smoking existed among cancer survivors aged 30-49 than for those with no cancer history
• Body mass index did not differ based on cancer survivor status
• Cancer survivors were more likely to take more than 3 vitamins
• Compared with patients with no cancer history, cancer survivors were more likely to rate their overall health as “poor”

“These results suggest that there are opportunities for tailored behavioral health risk factor interventions for cancer survivors,” said study author Sarah M. Rausch, PhD, a clinical psychologist and director of Integrative Medicine at Moffitt. “The differences in health behaviors between cancer survivors and those with no cancer history afford a ‘teachable moment’ in which a cancer survivor may be motivated to change behaviors to promote a healthier lifestyle and prevent cancer recurrence.”

Of the half million cancer deaths annually in the US (according to statistics from 2006 cited in the study), tobacco use is attributed to 1/3 of cancer deaths, and lack of physical activity, poor diet, and obesity were attributed to another 1/3 of the cancer deaths.

“Studies, including ours, have found that cancer survivors are not as healthy as the general public,” said Rausch. “As our study demonstrated, unhealthy behaviors, such as smoking and alcohol use, and a lack of physical exercise among cancer survivors presenting for screening mammography, may account for their generally less than healthy status when compared to their peers, who also presented for screening mammography, but who had never had a cancer diagnosis.”

The “teachable moment” derived from this study could benefit cancer survivors if utilized by healthcare professionals to illustrate the importance of incorporating healthier lifestyle behaviors for the prevention of cancer recurrence, according to study authors.

Source: Moffitt Cancer Center.