AbstractsMedical & Health Science

Background: The number of breast cancer survivors is increasing owing to improved screening, detection and more targeted treatments. With a 5-year survival rate of around 85%, recurrence, mortality and comorbidity are becoming considerable concerns for this population. The role of diet in improving outcomes post-diagnosis is yet to be fully explored. However as weight gain is common both during and after treatment, nutrition and lifestyle interventions aimed at attenuating the risk of weight gain and obesity could be appropriate for reducing the subsequent risk of poor prognosis and associated chronic diseases. Additionally, many women have been found to spontaneously change their diets post-diagnosis The dietary intakes of the New Zealand breast cancer population have yet to be studied. Objective: This study aimed to describe changes in dietary intakes, BMI and blood lipid profiles of breast cancer survivors undergoing adjuvant chemotherapy. Design: Data were derived from a longitudinal observational study of 10 women (age 25- 65 years) with newly diagnosed breast cancer in Dunedin, New Zealand. Dietary intake assessed by 4-day diet records, BMI and blood lipid profiles were taken at three time- points, before and twice during chemotherapy. Results: There was no meaningful change in the mean macronutrient intake during the study period. Mean protein intake (% total energy) increased 1.5% from mid-point to final measures. No change in BMI nor cholesterol and triglyceride profiles was observed over study period however there were associations between energy, protein and fat intakes and blood LDL-cholesterol from mid-point to final time-points. Conclusion: Given previous research shows dietary changes occur post-diagnosis it is interesting that there was generally no change in the macronutrient composition of the diets during the treatment period. However there was a small increase of protein by 1.5% (P=0.017) from the mid-point to final study measures. This lack of change may be the consequence of the short study timeframe, the small sample size or may additionally suggest a lack of nutrition advice being provided in clinical settings. Although there was no change in BMI over the study, 90% of the women were overweight or obese at baseline potentially increasing the risk of poor prognosis from treatment outset. The unfavourable blood lipid profiles observed also highlight a need for lifestyle improvements in this vulnerable group. Continued research is required to fully elucidate the dietary patterns and beliefs regarding nutrition post-diagnosis with a larger sample size and longer follow-up as the study period. !