Painful Breast Cancer

Painful Breast Cancer

Weightlifting often is discouraged for breast cancer survivors, but a new University of Minnesota study has found it can prevent the very complications it was feared to cause.
Comparing cancer survivors in a structured training program with those who didn't lift weights, the study found that the lifters had fewer problems with lymphedema, a painful and chronic swelling of the arms and legs.
Muscle injuries can cause lymphedema in cancer survivors, which is why they are discouraged from lifting anything heavier than five pounds, said Dr. Rehana Ahmed-Saucedo, a co-author of the study and a dermatology resident at the U. But when done carefully, she said, the lifting builds strength and prevents these injuries from occurring in daily life.
Survivors feel empowered in the process, she added. "They told me they weren't afraid now, if they needed to lift the groceries or if their grandchildren ran into the street and they had to run after them and grab them.
The federally funded study, released Wednesday, is being published in the latest New England Journal of Medicine. Lead author Kathryn Schmitz moved from the University of Minnesota to Pennsylvania, which is where the weight training took place.
The study enrolled 141 women with mild levels of lymphedema in their arms. After one year, only 14 percent of the lifters were found by their doctors to have flare-ups compared with 29 percent of the women in the comparison group.
Lymphedema is more common in cancer patients because the harsh treatments of chemotherapy and radiation can damage the body's ability to drain fluids from the limbs. There is no cure, but Ahmed-Saucedo said weightlifting appears to help by stimulating the body to add muscle and new blood vessels that improve drainage.
The study was heartening to breast cancer survivor Wendy Rahn, who created the Survivors Training group to offer fitness classes to other survivors and to teach professional trainers how to work with them. The nonprofit had to close a studio in White Bear Lake for financial reasons but offers classes at the HealthPartners Specialty Center in St. Paul.
This new study kind of closes the deal," she said. "It says (weightlifting) is not going to hurt you but that it might actually have some benefit. My hope is this is going to get oncologists on board.
Ahmed-Saucedo, who serves on the board of Survivors Training, said cancer survivors must be careful and ideally work with trainers who understand their particular needs. Survivors might just go through the lifting motions first before gradually adding weights.
Preventing or reducing lymphedema can have a psychological benefit, the doctor added. Other studies have shown that more women are troubled by the change in physical appearance caused by the swelling than by the surgical removal of a breast, which can be addressed with implants.
You can't hide, Ahmed-Saucedo said, "when your hand is swollen.
Follow-up research is needed, but a Houston specialist in cancer recovery said weightlifting has cost-saving benefits not only by reducing direct health care costs, but also by potentially reducing the risk of disability and allowing women to return to work at full capacity, either within or outside the home.
The specialist, Wendy Demark Wahnefried, said this especially would benefit low income patients, who suffer higher rates of lymphedema because their cancers are discovered later and require more aggressive treatments.