If you have been diagnosed with breast cancer and are interested in a weight loss program, you might be able to help researchers conducting a clinical study at St. Peter’s Hospital Cancer Care Center. This study will help to determine whether weight loss programs should be a part of breast cancer treatment.
The study, entitled “Breast Cancer Weight Loss Study (BWEL Study),” is a randomized phase III trial that will examine whether weight loss in overweight and obese women diagnosed with stage II or II breast cancer may prevent a recurrence of breast cancer in those women.
An eligible patient will have been diagnosed with stage II or III breast cancer within the last 12 months and have completed surgery and chemotherapy (if given).
Previous studies have found women who are overweight or obese when their breast cancer is diagnosed have a greater risk of their breast cancer recurring, as compared to women who were thinner when their cancer was diagnosed. This study aims to test whether overweight or obese women who take part in a weight loss program after being diagnosed with breast cancer have a lower rate of cancer recurrence, as compared to women who do not take part in the weight loss program.
What Happens if I Participate?
If you decide to participate, you will read and sign a consent form that explains the study in more detail. If you meet all of the study requirements, you will then be entered into the study.
Study participants will have tests done that may include:
- Health history and physical exam
- Laboratory studies and blood tests
- Pregnancy test
- Medical imaging (X-ray, MRI, CT scan)
- Surgery (biopsy of tumor)
Who Can Participate?
There are eligibility requirements you must meet in order to participate. You and your study doctor should discuss them to help decide if this study might be an option for you. You will also want to speak with your health care provider and insurance company about the costs of any medications, tests, and/or surgery that would be necessary as part of the study.
This study is being sponsored by the Alliance for Clinical Trials in Oncology. The study can be found on the National Cancer Institute (NCI) website at www.cancer.gov or by visiting https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT02750826.
For More Information
- Call the research department at St. Peter’s Hospital Cancer Care Center at (518) 525-6739
- Visit St. Peter’s website at http://www.sphcs.org/cancercarecenter
- Call the National Cancer Institute’s (NCI) contact center at 1-800-4-CANCER (1-800-422-6237)
- Visit NCI’s website at www.cancer.gov
