Determinants of Weight Gain in Women with Early-Stage Breast Cancer

Weight gain after breast cancer diagnosis is common, and has been associated with poorer prognosis. The goals of the study are to examine weight gain relation to treatment-related changes in sex hormone levels, and in relation to genetic polymorphisms in sex hormone pathways, accounting for potential interactions with energy balance, psychosocial factors, tumor characteristics, cancer treatment, and medication use. A prospective longitudinal study of weight gain is being conducted in 215 stage I to IIIA breast cancer patients. To date (3/17/09), 333 participants have been enrolled. To date, 220 out of a possible 266 women have had their 6 months followup visit (82.7%) with 46 (17%) withdrawals. A total of 211 women have been eligible for a 12 month followup, although of this 43 (20%) women have withdrawn, leaving 168 active participants. All of our data has been double entered by two different research associates. We are now currently in the process of data cleaning and are comparing and resolving data entry discrepancies between the double entered data. We have also finished with the DNA extraction process and will begin to genotype our samples. We are now collaborating with Dr. Alice Ceacareanu, from the School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences at the State University of New York at Buffalo, who will now perform the hormone measurements in her laboratory. We have finished optimizing techniques with serum from healthy volunteers, and will begin with study samples shortly. Cortisol-related measurements will now be sent to the Biobehavioral Medicine Core Facility at the University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute, which is overseen by Dr. Dana Bovbjerg, one of my mentors on the grant. The original document contains color images.