Research

Hormonal

Post-diagnosis weight gain of >10 kg is associated with a 70% increase in all-cause mortality and a 78% increase in breast cancer-specific mortality compared to maintaining stable weight.

For breast cancer survivors, avoiding significant weight gain after diagnosis is critical for survival. The study shows that gaining more than 10kg after diagnosis significantly increases the risk of dying from breast cancer or other causes. Survivors should work with their care team to monitor weight and implement lifestyle changes to maintain a stable, healthy weight, as this is associated with improved mortality outcomes.

GoodSupportsHIGH confidence
women who gained >10 kg had a 70% increase in all-cause mortality (95% CI, 1.21-2.41)... Breast cancer mortality increased by 78% among women who gained >10 kg between diagnosis and CWLS enrollment (95% CI, 1.01-3.14).
Hazel B. Nichols et al. · Cancer Epidemiology Biomarkers & Prevention · 2009

Why this rating

Large cohort study (n=3,993) with long follow-up and adjustment for multiple confounders, though observational design limits causal inference.

Source

Body Mass Index Before and After Breast Cancer Diagnosis: Associations with All-Cause, Breast Cancer, and Cardiovascular Disease Mortality

Hazel B. Nichols et al. · Cancer Epidemiology Biomarkers & Prevention · 2009

DOI 10.1158/1055-9965.epi-08-1094

cohort · n=3993Cited 263×
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DOI resolved against Crossref · corpus check 2026-06-10

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