Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2021 Dec;16(6):648-656.
doi: 10.1159/000514469. Epub 2021 Feb 25.

Effects of Diet after Early Breast Cancer Treatment: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Clinical Trials

Henrique de Araújo Vianna Träsel  1   2 , Frederico Soares Falcetta  2   3 , Fernando Kude de Almeida  1 , Mariana Rangel Ribeiro Falcetta  2   4 , Rodrigo Antonini Ribeiro  5 , Daniela Dornelles Rosa  1   6
Affiliations

Effects of Diet after Early Breast Cancer Treatment: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Clinical Trials

Henrique de Araújo Vianna Träsel et al. Breast Care (Basel). 2021 Dec.

Abstract

Purpose: Randomized clinical trials (RCT) are inconclusive regarding the role of dietary interventions in anthropometric measurements and survival in breast cancer patients. Our aim was to conduct a systematic review and meta-analysis to assess the effects of diet on these outcomes in women treated for early-stage breast cancer.

Methods: Embase, MEDLINE, the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, and the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials were searched for RCT comparing dietary interventions (individualized dietary counseling, prescription of a specific diet, or others) with usual care in women that were treated for early breast cancer. Primary outcomes were overall survival (OS) and disease-free survival (DFS); secondary outcome was a change in body mass index (BMI).

Results: We found 12 RCT eligible for analysis, 7 of which were included in the quantitative analysis. Two studies reported OS and DFS and 6 reported BMI data. The hazard ratio (HR) for OS and DFS was 0.91 (95% confidence interval [CI] 0.77-1.07, p = 0.25) and 0.92 (95% CI 0.79-1.08, p = 0.31) for the intervention and control groups, respectively. Intervention was associated with BMI reduction in subjects who received a specific diet instead of counseling or other types of intervention (-0.67; 95% CI -1.14 to -0.21).

Conclusions: Despite increasing survival among breast cancer patients due to better oncological treatments, there is still a lack of prospective data regarding the effects of dietary interventions in this population. We found positive association between prescription of specific diets in terms of anthropometric measures; there were no differences in OS or DFS.

Keywords: Breast neoplasms; Diet therapy; Disease-free survival; Meta-analysis; Mortality.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare there were no conflicts of interest.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
PRISMA flow chart. Created by Review Manager 5.3.
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Risk of bias summary. Created by Review Manager 5.3.
Fig. 3
Fig. 3
Forest plot for overall survival. Created by RStudio v1.1.453.
Fig. 4
Fig. 4
Forest plot for DFS sorted by hormonal receptor status (ER-positive and/or PR-positive vs. hormone receptor-negative). Created by RStudio v1.1.453.
Fig. 5
Fig. 5
Forest plot for BMI reduction sorted by type of intervention. Created by RStudio v1.1.453.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Bray F, Ferlay J, Soerjomataram I, Siegel RL, Torre LA, Jemal A. Global cancer statistics 2018: GLOBOCAN estimates of incidence and mortality worldwide for 36 cancers in 185 countries. CA Cancer J Clin. 2018 Nov;68((6)):394–424. - PubMed
    1. Janni W. Breast Cancer - a Lifestyle Disease? Breast Care (Basel) 2018 Apr;13((2)):84–5. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Irwin ML, McTiernan A, Baumgartner RN, Baumgartner KB, Bernstein L, Gilliland FD, et al. Changes in body fat and weight after a breast cancer diagnosis: influence of demographic, prognostic, and lifestyle factors. J Clin Oncol. 2005 Feb;23((4)):774–82. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Vance V, Mourtzakis M, McCargar L, Hanning R. Weight gain in breast cancer survivors: prevalence, pattern and health consequences. Obes Rev. 2011 Apr;12((4)):282–94. - PubMed
    1. Protani M, Coory M, Martin JH. Effect of obesity on survival of women with breast cancer: systematic review and meta-analysis. Breast Cancer Res Treat. 2010 Oct;123((3)):627–35. - PubMed