There were two news items from the American Association for Cancer Research conference that I thought would be helpful to people trying to prevent a recurrence.
One was a study that found that insulin levels are associated with a higher death risk in BC patients. Since we are not allowed to link, just paste this phrase into your browser:
“Keeping insulin in check important in breast cancer” for more info. It is on the ASCO (American Society for Clinical Oncology) website.
Once sentence that leapt out at me was that this association was particularly strong for women in their 40s. The association is also particularly strong for women with spread to the nodes: the women with the highest levels had three times the risk of death of the women at lower levels.
The doctor who conducted the study said that BC patients should ask their doctors about how they should lower insulin levels, and added that this includes getting exercise, eating fruit and veg, and lowering fat intake. A fine example of news you can use.
There was another news item about post-diagnosis weight gain worsening outcomes, with a 22 pound weight gain being associated with double the death risk.
That one is called:
“Avoiding weight gain important after breast cancer” and is also on the ASCO website.