Background: Although distress screening is crucial for cancer survivors, it is not easy for clinicians to recognize distress. Physical activity (PA) data collected by mobile devices such as smart bands and smartphone apps have the potential to be used to screen distress in breast cancer survivors. Objective: The aim of this study was to assess data collection rates of smartphone apps and smart bands in terms of PA data, investigate the correlation between PA data from mobile devices and distress-related questionnaires from smartphone apps, and demonstrate factors associated with data collection with smart bands and smartphone apps in breast cancer survivors. Methods: In this prospective observational study, patients who underwent surgery for breast cancer at Asan Medical Center, Seoul, Republic of Korea, between June 2017 and March 2018 were enrolled and asked to use both a smartphone app and smart band for 6 months. The overall compliance rates of the daily PA data collection via the smartphone walking apps and wearable smart bands were analyzed in a within-subject manner. The longitudinal daily collection rates were calculated to examine the dropout pattern. We also performed multivariate linear regression analysis to examine factors associated with compliance with daily collection. Finally, we tested the correlation between the count of daily average steps and distress level using Pearson correlation analysis. Results: A total of 160 female patients who underwent breast cancer surgeries were enrolled. The overall compliance rates for using a smartphone app and smart bands were 88.0% (24,224/27,513) and 52.5% (14,431/27,513), respectively. The longitudinal compliance rate for smartphone apps was 77.8% at day 180, while the longitudinal compliance rate for smart bands rapidly decreased over time, reaching 17.5% at day 180. Subjects who were young, with other comorbidities, or receiving antihormonal therapy or targeted therapy showed significantly higher compliance rates to the smartphone app. However, no factor was associated with the compliance rate to the smart band. In terms of the correlation between the count of daily steps and distress level, step counts collected via smart band showed a significant correlation with distress level. Conclusions: Smartphone apps or smart bands are feasible tools to collect data on the physical activity of breast cancer survivors. PA data from mobile devices are correlated with participants’ distress data, which suggests the potential role of mobile devices in the management of distress in breast cancer survivors. Trial Registration: ClinicalTrials.gov NCT03072966; https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT03072966

Chung IY, et al. J Korean Med Sci. 2018 Sep;33(44):e276. https://doi.org/10.3346/jkms.2018.33.e276

Background: Although international guidelines recommend bone screening for premenopausal breast cancer patients taking adjuvant tamoxifen, the effects of tamoxifen on osteoporosis and related risks remain controversial. The objective of this study was to investigate the incidence of and risk factors for osteoporosis and osteoporotic fractures in younger breast cancer patients. Methods: A nationwide retrospective cohort study was conducted using South Korea Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service claims data. The rates of osteoporosis and osteoporotic fracture were calculated as incident cases per person-year and disease-free probability rates were analyzed with the Kaplan-Meier method. To identify risk factors for osteoporosis and osteoporotic fracture, a multivariable Cox proportional hazard regression model was applied. Results: From January 2009 to December 2014, a total of 47,649 breast cancer patients were included. The incidence rates of osteoporosis and osteoporotic fracture were 23.59 and 2.40 per 1,000 person-years, respectively. In the overall population, tamoxifen was significantly associated with a decreased risk of osteoporosis and osteoporotic fractures 0.76). However, tamoxifen was not associated with the risk of osteoporosis (HR 1.24, CI 0.85–1.82) and osteoporotic fracture (HR 8.15, CI 0.36–186.70) in patients under age 40. In the 40–49 years subgroup, tamoxifen significantly decreased the risk of osteoporosis (HR 0.74, CI 0.65–0.84) and osteoporotic fracture (HR 0.49, CI 0.31–0.76). Conclusions: Tamoxifen is not associated with an increased risk of osteoporosis and osteoporotic fracture in premenopausal breast cancer patients. Tailored screening strategies for breast cancer survivors with different osteoporosis risks are needed. Precis: Tamoxifen is not associated with an increased risk of osteoporosis and osteoporotic fracture in premenopausal breast cancer patients. Tailored screening strategies for breast cancer survivors who are at different risks of developing osteoporosis are needed.

Large genomic rearrangements (LGRs) in the BRCA1/2 genes are frequently observed in breast cancer patients who are negative for BRCA1/2 small mutations. Here, we examined 221 familial breast cancer patients from 37 hospitals to estimate the contribution of LGRs, in a nationwide context, to the development of breast cancer. Direct sequencing or mutation scanning followed by direct sequencing was performed to screen small mutations. BRCA1/2 small mutation-negative patients were screened for the presence of LGRs using a multiple ligation-dependent probe amplification (MLPA) assay. Using a combined strategy to detect the presence of small mutations and LGRs, we identified BRCA1/2 small mutations in 78 (35.3%) out of 221 familial breast cancer patients and BRCA1 LGRs in 3 (2.1%) out of 143 BRCA1/2 small mutation-negative patients: the deletion of exons 11–13, the deletion of exons 13–15, and whole gene deletion of exons 1-24. The novel deletion of exons 11–13 is thought to result from a non-homologous recombination event mediated by a microhomology sequence comprised of 3 or 4 base pairs: c.3416_4357 + 1863delins187 (NG_005905.2: g.33369_44944delins187). In this study, we showed that LGRs were found in 3.7% (3/81) of the patients who had mutations in BRCA1 or BRCA2, and 7.5% (3/40) of patients with mutations in BRCA1. This suggests that the contribution of LGRs to familial breast cancer in this population might be comparable to that in other ethnic populations. Given these findings, an MLPA to screen for mutations in the BRCA1 gene is recommended as an initial screening test in highly selective settings.

Background: Although the guidelines recommend gynecological assessment and close monitoring for symptoms of endometrial cancer in postmenopausal breast cancer survivors taking tamoxifen (TAM), the risk of endometrial cancer in young breast cancer survivors has not yet been fully assessed. This study aimed to investigate the risk of developing endometrial cancer and the frequencies of gynecological examinations in young breast cancer survivors taking TAM in South Korea. Methods: A nationwide retrospective cohort study was conducted using the Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service claims data. Kaplan–Meier analyses and log-rank tests were used to assess the probability of endometrial cancer, benign endometrial conditions, and the probability of invasive endometrial procedure. To analyze the risk of endometrial cancer and benign endometrial conditions, we used a multivariable Cox proportional hazards regression model. Results: Between 2010 and 2015, 60,545 newly diagnosed female breast cancer survivors were included. The total person–years were 256,099 and 140 (0.23%) patients developed endometrial cancer during the study period. In breast cancer survivors aged ≥60 years [hazard ratio (HR), 5.037; 95% confidence interval (CI), 2.185–11.613], 50–59 years (HR, 4.343; 95% CI, 2.122–8.891), and 40–49 years (HR, 2.121; 95% CI, 1.068–4.213), TAM was associated with an increased risk of endometrial cancer. In subjects aged below 40 years, TAM did not significantly increase the risk of endometrial cancer. However, among the TAM subgroups, breast cancer survivors aged below 40 years [1.61 per 1,000 person–years (PY); HR, 12.460; 95% CI, 2.698–57.522] and aged 40–49 years (2.22 per 1,000 PY; HR, 9.667; 95% CI, 4.966–18.819) with TAM-related endometrial diseases showed significantly increased risks of endometrial cancer. Among the TAM subgroup with benign endometrial conditions, the ratios of the frequency of invasive diagnostic procedures to the incidence of endometrial cancer were higher in subjects under 40 than subjects aged 60 or more. Conclusion: Young breast cancer survivors with TAM-related benign endometrial diseases are at a higher risk of developing endometrial cancer. Gynecological surveillance should be tailored to the risk of endometrial cancer in young breast cancer survivors to improve the early detection of endometrial cancer and avoid unnecessary invasive procedures.