Muscle loss may increase mortality risk in women with breast cancer: Study

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New York: A new study has found that muscle loss in women with breast cancer may increase their risk of mortality risk. According to the study, more than one-third women with sarcopenia, the degenerative loss of skeletal muscle mass, at diagnosis had a significantly increased risk of death as compared to those without sarcopenia, regardless of the age or stage of cancer.

Poor muscle quality was not associated with survival, and highest mortality was in patients with sarcopenia and high total adipose tissue (body fat).

Bette J. Caan, from the the Kaiser Permanente in California said measures of sarcopenia provide significant prognostic information in nonmetastatic breast cancer and will help to identify high-risk groups and guide interventions to optimise survival outcomes.

The team examined 3,241 patients with breast cancer for the study.

The study, however, was unable to determine why higher muscle mass leads to a higher chance of breast cancer survival.

Researchers think that there may be a connection with cancer's effect on muscle tissue, as inflammation related to cancer may result in lower muscle mass and increased fat deposits.

Caan was quoted as saying to the TechCrunch,"I was surprised by how high the prevalence of sarcopenia was in breast cancer patients with nonmetastatic disease, who in general have good survival."

The level of sarcopenia, or lower muscle mass, may soon be used for prognosis upon diagnosis of stage II or stage III breast cancer.

By maintaining a healthy body, breast cancer risk significantly decreases. Women who are diagnosed with the disease, meanwhile, should continue a proper lifestyle to help improve their chance of survival.

Besides exercise and healthy diet, avoiding smoking, and heavy alcohol consumption may also help, the report said.

The finding was published in the JAMA Oncology journal.

(With IANS inputs)