Erin W. Hofstatter, MD, assistant professor of medicine (medical oncology), co-director, Genetic Counseling Program, Yale Cancer Center, discusses chemoprevention to reduce one’s risk of developing breast cancer.

Hofstatter says it is a misconception to assume that the only people who should consider chemoprevention are those with a strong family history or who have a BRCA1/2 mutation. Studies that have looked at tamoxifen or exemestane have included a wider range of women.

Researchers have learned that the benefits of taking tamoxifen, even for as little as 5 years, last for up to 20 years, Hofstatter says. While these medications seem to reduce the risk of breast cancer up to a half, many people are afraid of the side effect profile. Hofstatter says in order to get more women to undergo chemoprevention, better identification of those at high risk and better drugs with lower side effects need to be developed.

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Erin W. Hofstatter, MD, assistant professor of medicine (medical oncology), co-director, Genetic Counseling Program, Yale Cancer Center, discusses chemoprevention to reduce one's risk of developing breast cancer.

Dr. Hofstatter on Breast Cancer Chemoprevention

Erin W. Hofstatter, MD, assistant professor of medicine (medical oncology), co-director, Genetic Counseling Program, Yale Cancer Center, explains why it is important for breast cancer survivors to maintain a healthy lifestyle after their treatment.

 Hofstatter says there has been an increasing number of studies looking at breast cancer survivors. It is known that breast cancer survivors typically gain weight during and after treatment, but the reason why is unknown.Breast cancer patients and survivors who avoid weight gain after treatment appear to have less risk of recurrence, Hofstatter says.

 While itâ€™s not a standard guideline for breast cancer survivors to maintain a healthy weight during and after treatment through diet and exercise, maintaining a healthy lifestyle as they go through treatment and beyond appears to be important from a survivorship standpoint, Hofstatter says.

Erin W. Hofstatter, MD, assistant professor of medicine (medical oncology), co-director, Genetic Counseling Program, Yale Cancer Center, explains why it is important for breast cancer survivors to maintain a healthy lifestyle after their treatment

Dr. Hofstatter Discusses Breast Cancer Survivors and Maintaining a Healthy Lifestyle After Treatment 

Erin W. Hofstatter, MD, assistant professor of medicine (medical oncology), co-director, Genetic Counseling Program, Yale Cancer Center, discusses a study to determine if perceived personal breast cancer risk was associated with adherence to healthy lifestyle habit.

Hofstatter says right now, the American Cancer Society recommends individuals eat 2.5 cups of fruits and vegetables per day, get 75-150 minutes of moderate to vigorous exercise per week, and limit their alcohol intake to roughly one serving per day or less.

In order to determine if women who felt they were more at risk of developing breast cancer were more likely to follow the guidelines, Hofstatter and colleagues used the National Health Interview Survey.

The study showed that most women do not adhere to the US prevention guidelines at all, even if they perceive themselves to be at high risk. Hofstatter says about 95% of women are adherent to the alcohol guideline but only about a third of all women adhere to the exercise guideline. Also, only 5% or less of women were getting the recommended serving of fruits and vegetables each day.

Hofstatter says she is unsure if women know about the guidelines and are not following them or if they are unaware that exercise and diet have anything to do with breast cancer risk.

Erin W. Hofstatter, MD

Articles

Dr. Hofstatter on Breast Cancer Chemoprevention

Dr. Hofstatter Discusses Breast Cancer Survivors and Maintaining a Healthy Lifestyle After Treatment

Dr. Hofstatter Discusses Adherence to US Cancer Prevention Guidelines