Yale University New Haven, Connecticut
Susan Dwight Bliss Professor of Epidemiology Associate Dean of Research, Yale School of Public Health Deputy Director, Yale Cancer Center Deputy Director of Public Health, Yale Center for Clinical Investigation
Examining the effects of exercise and nutrition therapy on patients newly diagnosed with triple-negative breast cancer
Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) is an aggressive subtype of breast cancer that can be challenging to treat. Neoadjuvant chemotherapy, or chemotherapy prior to surgery, is often recommended for aggressive tumors to reduce tumor size and measure the treatment’s effectiveness. In the clinic, that effectiveness is determined by measuring a pathological complete response (pCR), which is characterized by the absence of residual invasive cancer in tissue samples after neoadjuvant chemotherapy. This pCR measurement is an important prognostic measure of recurrence and mortality.
Dr. Irwin’s LEANer trial explored the impact of an exercise and nutrition program on women undergoing chemotherapy for breast cancer. Among those receiving chemotherapy before surgery, the pCR rates were significantly higher for women in the intervention group compared to those in usual care, especially among women with TNBC. This suggests that the intervention may enhance pCR through immune, inflammatory, and metabolic pathways.
Following on the results of the LEANer trial, Dr. Irwin’s team will evaluate the effects of a combined exercise and nutrition intervention in women newly diagnosed with TNBC undergoing pre-surgical chemotherapy and immunotherapy. The primary goals are to evaluate the intervention’s impact on pCR, residual cancer burden (RCB), biological mechanisms and pathways influencing pCR and RCB, and patient-reported outcomes. The findings from this trial could lead to significant shifts in oncology care, policies and insurance coverage, and further promote the integration of exercise and nutrition therapy into standard cancer treatment protocols.
Melinda L. Irwin, PhD, MPH is the Susan Dwight Bliss Professor of Epidemiology and Associate Dean of Research at the Yale School of Public Health, Deputy Director of the Yale Cancer Center, and the Deputy Director of Public Health for the Yale Center for Clinical Investigation. Dr. Irwin is a prominent leader in cancer prevention and survivorship research: she is the principal investigator of 16 externally funded research projects in the last 19 years, serves on numerous national advisory boards related to cancer survivorship including co-chairing the national clinical trials network SWOG cancer survivorship committee, and is leading NCI-funded training programs to mentor and train the next generation of cancer researchers. The focus of her breast cancer research is on randomized controlled trials of the impact of exercise, diet, and weight loss on cancer biomarkers, treatment side effects and outcomes, and quality of life.
2013
The Westchester Women’s Award in Memory of Marla Mehlman
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