Cancer
Differences in accelerometer-based measures of physical activity by history of cancer Jillian Nelson* Jillian Nelson Erika Rees-Punia Alpa V Patel
Physical activity is a modifiable risk factor for several types of cancer. Cancer survivors who meet moderate to vigorous physical activity (MVPA) guidelines (>150 min/week) may have improved survival outcomes. We examined how MVPA and sedentary time differ by cancer history and treatment using accelerometer-based measurements.
The American Cancer Society’s Cancer Prevention Study-3 Accelerometry Sub Study recruited 21,325 participants in 2019-2023 to wear Actigraph GT3x+ accelerometers on the waist for 7 consecutive days. The Choi/Sojourn-3 axis algorithms were used to process returned accelerometers. Participants who wore the device on ≥1 day for ≥10 hours were included in this analysis (n=21,048, including n=776 cancer survivors). Multiple linear regression modeling was used to examine how MVPA and sedentary time differed by history of cancer and, among survivors, by history of chemotherapy and time since diagnosis.
Overall, mean cohort age was 58.5 (SD=10) years and 77% were women. Cancer survivors were older (62.73, SD=8.4 years) and less likely to be (72%) women. Average MVPA among all was 47.62 (SD=29.7) min/day and average sedentary time was 556.6 (SD=88.4) min/day. Overall, MVPA did not differ by history of cancer, but survivors who received chemotherapy accumulated 34 fewer minutes/week MVPA compared to survivors who didn’t receive chemotherapy (p=.041). Further, those who received chemotherapy within 5 years of participating accrued 58 fewer minutes/week MVPA (p=.021) compared to survivors who did not receive chemotherapy within 5 years of participating.
Although history of chemotherapy may be related to a significant reduction in MVPA, the potential effects likely do not last beyond 5 years post-diagnosis. These results demonstrate an opportunity for physical activity interventions close to the time of cancer diagnosis to help survivors who received chemotherapy meet physical activity guidelines to improve cancer outcomes.