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Date
Contacts
September 8, 2015
News Release
Alicia Reale
Department of Marketing and
Communications
11100 Euclid Avenue
Cleveland, OH 44106
[email protected]
Phone
216 844 3825
[email protected]
New NIH-Funded Study Explores the Impact of Exercise on Breast Cancer Outcomes
First-of-its-kind Clinical Trial Launched at UH Case Medical Center
CLEVELAND – Physician-scientists at University Hospitals Case Medical Center’s Seidman Cancer
Center and Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine are leading a new study exploring
the impact of exercise on outcomes for older breast cancer survivors.
The five-year study will test the effect of physical activity on functional status, body composition and
biomarkers associated with breast cancer prognosis among older breast cancer survivors, with a
special focus on older African American and low socioeconomic status women. Funded by a $2.8
million grant from the National Institute on Minority Health and Disparities to the School of Medicine,
the clinical trial is currently recruiting early-stage breast cancer survivors over the age of 65.
The study is led by Cynthia Owusu, MD, Principal Investigator, and a team of investigators from
University Hospitals, Cleveland Clinic, MetroHealth Medical Center and The Gathering Place in
Beachwood.
“Despite major advances in breast cancer care, senior adults with the disease, most notably African
American and low-income women, tend to have poorer outcomes following treatment,” says Dr.
Owusu, geriatric oncologist at UH Seidman Cancer Center and Associate Professor at the School of
Medicine. “Our study addresses two major health issues, functional disability and obesity, which
have enormous public health consequences including increased health care utilization and costs,
and mortality. We aim to determine if adding a sustainable exercise program can translate into longterm improved health and breast cancer survival in older women.”
Dr. Owusu and her research team conducted previous research, presented at American Society of
Clinical Oncology (ASCO), finding that 25 percent of older women with newly diagnosed breast
cancer had lower physical function and difficulty accomplishing daily tasks within one year of
diagnosis. The team also found that African Americans and women of lower socioeconomic status
were four times more likely to present at diagnosis with functional disability and two times more
likely to have poor physical performance.
“We need to develop strategies to improve breast cancer outcomes for this large subgroup of
survivors,” says Dr. Owusu. “Exercise can play a role in enhancing their long-term health. We will
measure the impact of physical activity on participants’ body composition and their physical function.
We will also look at the impact on biomarkers associated with breast cancer recurrence.”
The study aims to recruit 320 stage I-III patients aged 65 years and older who are less than two
years out from treatment completion. Participants will take part in the clinical trial that will randomize
patients to an exercise program at The Gathering Place.
“Our hope is that this study will show that a targeted physical activity program can address
functional disability and reduce disparities among older women with breast cancer, but in particular
African American and low-income breast cancer survivors,” says Dr. Owusu. “Our aim is that this
early intervention will lead to improvement in the functional and health status of this group,
optimizing their long-term benefits from breast cancer treatment.”
For more information about participating in the study, please call 800-641-2422.
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About University Hospitals
University Hospitals, the second largest private employer in Northeast Ohio with 26,000 employees, serves
the needs of patients through an integrated network of 16 hospitals, more than 35 outpatient health centers
and primary care physician offices in 15 counties. At the core of our $3.5 billion health system is University
Hospitals Case Medical Center, ranked among America’s best hospitals by U.S. News & World Report. The
primary affiliate of Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, UH Case Medical Center is home to
some of the most prestigious clinical and research programs in the nation, including cancer, pediatrics,
women's health, orthopaedics, radiology, neuroscience, cardiology and cardiovascular surgery, digestive
health, transplantation and genetics. Its main campus includes UH Rainbow Babies & Children's Hospital,
ranked among the top children’s hospitals in the nation; UH MacDonald Women's Hospital, Ohio's only
hospital for women; and UH Seidman Cancer Center, part of the NCI-designated Case Comprehensive
Cancer Center at Case Western Reserve University. For more information, go to www.uhhospitals.org