The Fitness Effect:
A New Clinic for Breast Cancer Survivors

A new clinic at the Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center is offering breast cancer survivors a fresh perspective on life. Focused on improving quality of life – during treatment, recovery, and beyond – the Fitness Effect clinic provides medically-sound and survivor-specific diet and exercise recommendations.

Working individually with Priscilla Furth, MD, patients receive a fitness evaluation and recommendations for a personalized diet and exercise plan – what she calls a “fitness prescription”. According to Dr. Furth, who opened the clinic in early May, there is a large body of research that suggests improved fitness can help reduce a woman’s likelihood of disease recurrence, as well as the severity of treatment side effects and “late” effects.

“The Fitness Effect is about improving a woman’s sense of well-being, in this case, by reducing the impact of breast cancer on her body,” explained Dr. Furth.
 
A physician-scientist at Lombardi who studies the hormonal regulation of breast cancer, Dr. Furth has 20 years of experience treating patients with chronic conditions and is a nationally certified personal trainer. These intersecting interests made Dr. Furth uniquely qualified to develop and implement this innovative clinic.

There are over 2 million breast cancer survivors in the United States, according to the National Cancer Institute, a statistic that is growing every day. As many survivors know, the journey does not end after treatment is finished. Increasingly, doctors are learning more about the “late” effects of treatment that may occur later in life.

One common late effect for breast cancer survivors is osteoporosis caused by anti-hormonal therapies or early menopause that can result from chemotherapy. Physical activity can help reduce or even halt bone loss, and simple dietary interventions, like ensuring enough vitamin D is in the diet, can increase the uptake of calcium which is necessary for strong bones.

“Research shows that the extent of the exercise doesn’t really matter. What’s important is that we work together to develop a program suitable for each individual’s health and that it’s also something that they will enjoy doing,” she explained.

In fact, Dr. Furth believes that breast cancer survivors, patients currently undergoing treatment, and women at high risk for the disease can all benefit from the Fitness Effect.

“There is some evidence that shows diet and exercise may have a role in reducing incidence of breast cancer,” she said. “That doesn’t mean that you can eliminate your risk altogether, but it is certainly an option for women who know they are at high risk – those who have a family history or who know they have a BRCA mutation – and want to take a proactive role in managing their health.”

Dr. Furth is collaborating with two breast oncologists at Lombardi, Claudine Isaacs, MD, and Minetta Liu, MD, who are very supportive of the clinic. “The transition to survivorship is a critical issue for my patients,” said Dr. Isaacs. “There is a body of research that shows fitness interventions can have a major impact on quality of life and some studies also indicate it may reduce the risk of breast cancer recurrence, so I am very excited that Dr. Furth has brought these skills to our clinical team.”

Additionally, Dr. Furth is also working with the surgeons at the Betty Lou Ourisman Breast Health Center, who will be referring patients to her clinic prior to surgery. A large body of research has shown that patients who are more physically fit generally recover more quickly from surgery.

Demonstration fitness classes, open to all patients at Lombardi, will complement the new clinic. Taught by certified personal trainers, and offered on the Georgetown University campus, the classes will provide basic lessons in safe exercise options regardless of an individual’s level of physical fitness.

The first such class will be offered by Jane Vaganek, a personal trainer at the Yates Fitness Center at Georgetown University and a certified YogaFit® instructor. With sponsorship from YogaFit®, Jane will offer Yoga classes to Lombardi patients four times per month beginning in August.

Dr. Furth’s own research is focused on understanding how breast cancer forms with the aim of developing more sophisticated methods for preventing and treating the disease. Her laboratory at Lombardi studies the molecular pathways involved in normal breast development and compares that to the disease process which causes cancer.

“The very thing that makes us women – our hormones – is also what is causing these cancers,” she explains. “And our best approach for treating and preventing breast cancer right now is to eliminate our hormone cycling through anti-hormonal therapies like Tamoxifen, or even surgical removal of the ovaries. I do not believe this is the only way or that it will ultimately be the best way.”

Dr. Furth joined Lombardi in 2000 from the University of Maryland where she had both a laboratory as well as a clinical practice at the Greenebaum Cancer Center. She decided to invest her time exclusively in research, in part because she wanted to have time for her three children who were soon to enter high school. Since then, Dr. Furth’s research has been fully funded by the National Cancer Institute and the Susan G. Komen Foundation. She has also been promoted to leadership positions among the research faculty of Lombardi, including her most recent appointment as leader of the Growth Regulation of Cancer Program.

The impetus for returning to clinical practice came from her volunteer efforts in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. Dr. Furth volunteered to travel to New Orleans and provide emergency care, and in the process realized how much she had missed providing care to patients. Upon her return to Washington, she decided to return to clinical work, and recognized the growing need for care for cancer survivors.

“The transition from patient to survivor is not an easy one,” said Dr. Furth. “My practice is designed to help women achieve as seamless a transition as possible.”

Dr. Furth’s Fitness Effect clinic can provide continuing care to those patients who no longer need to see their oncologist, but it can also serve as a one-time consultation visit for patients who do wish to continue to receive care from their oncologist. Clinics are held Monday and Tuesday afternoons and appointments can be made with or without referral. To learn more, or to make an appointment, call (202) 444-2223.