36 C A NCER FIGH T ER S THRI V E | sUMMER 20 15
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As a breast cancer survivor, Rhonda
Spinks was surprised to learn that
weight gain was a possible side effect
of treatment. "I hadn't thought of
gaining weight as a side effect of
cancer," says the Oklahoma City res-
ident. "I thought of cancer as related
to weight loss, so gaining was the
opposite of what I expected."
Rhonda, a wildlife biologist and
captain of a U.S. Army medical unit,
did, however, gain weight during
treatment for stage III breast can-
cer. "I gained a signifcant amount
of weight during the frst month of
chemotherapy," she says.
Rhonda's experience is not
unique: Research has shown that
with breast cancer in particular, 50 to
96 percent of patients gain weight at
some point during or after treatment.
1
WHAT LEADS TO WEIGHT GAIN?
According to Kristen Trukova, MS,
RD, LDN, CNSC, CSO, Clinical
Oncology Dietitian at Cancer Treat-
ment Centers of America
®
(CTCA)
in Zion, Illinois, many factors can
contribute to a patient's weight gain
during treatment for breast cancer.
Research into the issue has identifed
two main culprits: a major decrease
in physical activity and the effects of
treatment on metabolism.
For example, chemotherapy can
contribute to early menopause, which
leads to metabolic changes, making it
diffcult to maintain a healthy body
weight. Certain hormonal treatments
can also trigger early menopause, and
patients who are treated with a hyster-
ectomy (surgery to remove the uterus)
will go through menopause immedi-
ately. In addition, steroids—another
potential culprit in weight gain—are
sometimes used as part of chemo-
therapy.
Rhonda suspects that her strong
cravings while she was in treatment—
especially for bread and processed, sug-
ary foods—were the major culprit in
her case. She also could not exercise at
her usual level of intensity.
Emotions are another factor that can
Rhonda and her husband, Matt,
maintained an active lifestyle during
and after Rhonda's treatment.
(Photos courtesy Rhonda Spinks.)