Trinh, L., Amireault, S., Lacombe, J., Sabiston, C. M. (2015). Physical and psychological health among breast cancer survivors: interactions with sedentary behavior and physical activity. Psycho-Oncology Journal of the Psychological, Social and Behavioral Dimensions of Cancer, 24, 1279-1285. doi.org/10.1002/pon.3872

Many breast cancer survivors (BCS) experience several side effects from treatment, including fatigue, pain, and depression. These are among the most common side effects during treatment, and become even more elevated after treatment has ended. Since commonly recommended physical activity (PA) can only be implemented for a small portion of an individual’s day, Trinh, Amireault, Lacombe, and Sabiston conducted a study to examine the effects of reducing sedentary behavior (SED) in addition to the already recommended PA. For the study, data was collected on post-treatment symptoms from 195 breast cancer survivors (BCS) 3-4 months after treatment, while PA and SED data was collected using accelerometers. After analyzing the data, the researchers found that SED was associated with higher levels of fatigue, pain, and depression in BCS, and that effect was even more pronounced among individuals who were not physically active. However, these symptoms were not affected by SED for individuals who were more physically active than others. From this study, Trihn and colleagues were able to conclude that reducing SED along with increasing PA can help reduce post-treatment symptoms for BCS, and should be recommended by health care providers moving forward.