Weight gain in women with breast cancer
Malihe Shams, Marta Ghisi, Sara Rasom, Donatella Aloisio, Maria Giacobbo
This work consists of a review of literature about weight gain in women with breast cancer in its early
stages. The aim of this review is, therefore, to shed light on one of the side effects of breast cancer,
namely, weight gain. The medical sector has pursued the matter by identifying some possible causes
without, however, coming to a full understanding of the phenomenon. The available literature does not
provide clear indications but shows a series of concomitant causes which could explain the problem
of weight gain in women treated for breast cancer. We concluded that this phenomenon, therefore,
should be read and discussed as a multifactorial problem, using a bio-psycho-social paradigm, and not
as a mere side effect of chemotherapy. Weight gain concerns personal aspects such as dietary patterns,
values and coping strategies; it involves habits, and psychological and social aspects such as physical
activity and body image, and above all, it is related to moods, anxiety and depression. Furthermore it
is connected to the patient’s physical and mental health, affecting thereof complete recover or lack of
recovery from the illness.
Keywords
Weight, Cancer, Women, Body image, Coping.
