Predictive Role of Age and Deviant Life Style on Acute Side Effects During Chemoradiotherapy for Breast and Gynecological Cancers

Introduction and Purpose: Chemo- and/or radiation therapy are currently key pillars in cancer care. However, these therapies often induce variable side effects with a strong potential to nuance treatment compliance and effectiveness. This review aims to collate the fragmented evidence on potential predictors of the chemoradiation side effects, providing thus a unified resource for personal treatment planning and counselling.

Materials and Methods: This review analysis secondary data on the predictive role of age and deviant lifestyle factors in acute side effects experienced during chemoradiotherapy for breast and gynecological cancers. A systematic online search was conducted using keywords such as age, smoking, alcohol consumption, and body mass index, and their associations with acute side effects of chemoradiation therapy. A total of six articles were found and subjected to an in-depth analysis as to study’s design, sample size, methodology, key findings, strengths and limitations.

Results and Discussion: The current body of evidence indicates that advanced age (particularly 52 years and above), body weight below 60 kilograms, low body mass index, smoking and alcohol consumption during chemotherapy are positive predictors of the development of side effects during chemoradiotherapy. This evidence, however, comes from few studies with small sample sizes, nuanced measurement of age, lack of comparison group(s) and no information on interactive relationships between the variables.

Conclusion: Older age, lifestyle and body weight deviations expose to side effects during chemo- and/or radiation therapy. No study, so far, has investigated the possibility of interactions between these variables. Thus, further studies which focus on interactive effects, in addition to using larger samples, and control group(s) are required.

Keywords: Age, Life Style, Chemoradiotherapy, Acute Side Effects, Breast and Gynecological Cancers