Ernährung und körperliche Aktivität – Bedeutung für Prävention, Prognose und Therapie gynäkologischer Tumorerkrankungen

In Germany 37% of all cancer cases are attributed to an unhealthy lifestyle and thus could be avoided. The unhealthy lifestyle is characterized by obesity, lack of physical activity and unhealthy nutritional behavior. These factors together with alcohol consumption and nicotine abuse are considered to be key factors in the development of a variety of cancers, including breast cancer. Prospective studies show that overall survival rates of breast cancer patients can be improved by up to 30–50% when the patients undertake sufficient physical activity and a healthy diet with fat restriction after the diagnosis. Moreover, evidence suggests that a healthy lifestyle is also important even in women with an inherited predisposition to breast cancer as the result of a germline mutation in one of the BRCA genes. The national LIBRE study is worldwide the first and only prospective randomized lifestyle intervention study of carriers of a pathogenic BRCA germline mutation, aiming to investigate the impact of a healthy lifestyle on breast cancer incidence, prognosis and mortality.