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Diet to help prevent recurrence?

Page last modified on: November 20, 2008
Question from MarilynC: What is the current advice on diet to help prevent recurrence? I'm three years out of treatment. Thanks. I need a definitive answer!
Answers —Nicholas Robert, M.D.: Again, there's good news. People have been talking about diet and breast cancer for many years. Last year there was a presentation of the Women's Intervention Nutrition Study (WINS), discussed again at this year's meeting. Hopefully, there will be an opportunity to review this data in greater detail. The bottom line is that a low fat diet (which translated to weight loss) reduced the risk of recurrence for women with breast cancer. The trial is a little bit complicated to understand in that the benefits appear to be in the patients who had tumors that were estrogen receptor-negative. Nonetheless, many of us are very excited about this study because it addresses a concern and a need that many of our patients have about doing something themselves in reducing their risk of cancer recurrence. This trial supports the idea that weight control through diet and exercise is important and we may see in the future that the oncologist will need to be more proactive about giving advice and suggestions on how women who've had breast cancer can use diet and exercise to do better.
Jennifer Griggs, M.D., M.P.H.: I'd add a caution that women not feel from this discussion that they caused their breast cancer from something they did or did not do. It's important that women with a recurrence should not have the added burden that they did something wrong. Many women with recurrences are very thin.
Nicholas Robert, M.D.: I think the point has been made that it's a double-edged sword. On one hand people want to be able to do something and if they don't they created a problem by omission. The reality is that breast cancer is very complicated because there are many factors involved. But this trial on nutrition is encouraging because there may be benefits comparable to some of our drugs that can be achieved by diet and exercise. This is a story that is just starting and by no means are we at the end of the story. There will for sure be more information about this approach in the future.

On Wednesday, June 21, 2006, our Ask-the-Expert Online Conference was called Updates from the 2006 ASCO Annual Meeting. Nicholas Robert, M.D. and moderator Jennifer Griggs, M.D., M.P.H. answered your questions about recent advances in breast cancer treatment, updates on breast cancer genetics, information on diet and risk of recurrence, and more.

The materials presented in these conferences do not necessarily reflect the views of breastcancer.org. A qualified healthcare professional should be consulted before using any therapeutic product or regimen discussed. All readers should verify all information and data before employing any therapies described here.

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Meet the Experts

Nicholas Robert, M.D.Nicholas Robert, M.D. is a co-chair of the Breast Committee of the U.S. Oncology Research Network and also chairs the Cancer Committee and Research Committee of the Inova Fairfax Hospital's Cancer Center. 

Jennifer Griggs, M.D., M.P.H.Jennifer Griggs, M.D., M.P.H. is a medical oncologist specializing in the treatment of breast cancer, with a a special interest in cancer survivorship, patient-physician communication, and quality of care for women with breast cancer.

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