Exercise training and detraining effects on body composition, muscle strength and lipid, inflammatory and oxidative markers in breast cancer survivors under tamoxifen treatment.

AIMS: The present study aimed to verify the effects of resistance training (RT) and successive detraining on body composition, muscle strength and lipid profile as primary outcome, and the oxidative stress and inflammatory markers as second outcome of postmenopausal Breast Cancer (BC) survivors undergoing tamoxifen (TA). MAIN METHODS: Fourteen postmenopausal BC survivors underwent 12 weeks of resistance exercise training and subsequently 12 weeks of detraining. Anthropometric parameters, lipid profile, muscle strength, inflammatory cytokines and the oxidative stress markers, were assessed before, after the training period and after detraining period. KEY FINDINGS: One-way ANOVA showed that fat mass decrease (39.4 ± 6.9 to 37.7 ± 6.8%) and free-fat mass increase (39.3 ± 4.9 to 40.3 ± 5.6%) after RT. Muscle strength increased in response to training but decreased after the detraining period. Triglycerides (156 ± 45 to 123 ± 43 mg/dL) and total cholesterol (202 ± 13 to 186 ± 16 mg/dL) decreased after the RT and HDL-cholesterol (47 ± 9 to 56 ± 9 mg/dL) increased after RT and remained higher (53 ± 10 mg/dL) than after detraining. IL-6 increases (24.65 ± 10.85 to 41.42 ± 22.88 pg/mL) and IL-17 (2.42 ± 0.32 to 1.69 ± 0.19 pg/mL), TBARS (1.91 ± 0.19 to 1.03 ± 0.1 µmol/L), SOD (24.65 ± 10.85 to 41.42 ± 22.88 U/gHb) and Catalase activity (445.9 ± 113.0 to 345.8 ± 81.7 k/gHb·s) reduced after RT and remained lower after detraining. SIGNIFICANCE: Resistance exercise training improves health markers of BC survivors undergoing TA and detraining are not sufficient to reverse the positive effects in oxidative stress markers.

Effects of combined and resistance training on the inflammatory profile in breast cancer survivors: A systematic review.

OBJECTIVE: The present systematic review aimed to verify the effect of resistance and combined training on the inflammatory profile of breast cancer survivors. DESIGN: The searches were made on the platforms PsycINFO, PubMed, Cochrane, Science Direct and Scopus, from 1996 to 2017, using the keywords: cancer survivors, cancer treatment, cancer patients, breast cancer, inflammation, inflammatory profile, immune function, resistance training, strength training, weight training, physical activity, concurrent training and combined training. References of selected articles were also considered. Seven studies fulfilled the criteria adopted for analysis. RESULTS: None of these studies have shown reduced inflammatory markers in breast cancer survivors undergoing combined or isolated resistance training. CONCLUSIONS: It is not yet possible to conclude which resistance and/or combination training protocol is capable of improving the short-term inflammatory profile in this population. Future studies should seek to establish how structural training variables (intensity, volume, density, intra- and inter-series recovery, among others) act on anti-inflammatory processes in breast cancer survivors.