Breast cancer survivors who had functional limitations were more likely to die during follow-up.
As breast cancer patients now live longer because of better therapies, noncancer comorbidities play an increasing role in determining survival. To determine whether functional limitations (FLs; e.g., inability to stoop, climb stairs, reach overhead) affect risk for death in breast cancer patients, investigators assessed mortality in 2202 women (median age, 57) in the Life After Cancer Epidemiology (LACE) study, a population-based cohort study of early-stage breast cancer survivors. Participants completed validated questionnaires on FLs annually for a median of 9 years.
In all, 39% of participants reported at least one FL. Women with FLs tended to be older, to be overweight or obese, to be less physically active, to be less educated, and to h…