Why Should Patients With Breast Cancer Prioritize Wellness?

Prioritizing wellness and accepting support are essential parts of breast cancer care, as discussed by Dr. Sheldon M. Feldman in an interview with CURE on site at Montefiore Einstein Comprehensive Cancer Center in the Bronx in New York City.

Feldman, chief of Breast Surgery and Surgical Oncology and director of Breast Cancer Services, explained that many people with busy lives often put themselves last while caring for others. After a diagnosis, patients are encouraged to focus on their own needs and make their health the top priority.

He emphasized that supportive programs can help patients receive care and connection throughout treatment. Regular exercise also plays a critical role, helping to reduce recurrence and improve heart health. Feldman recommended that patients incorporate consistent physical activity, such as 45 minutes of cardio several times a week, as part of their overall care plan.

Transcript

What would you like patients to take away from our discussion?

Well, I think one of the biggest challenges we have is for patients, when they're going through a breast cancer diagnosis, to accept the fact that they can't do this alone. They have family and friends, but I would say you're now the center of the universe. Particularly women who have busy lives — they work, they have family and they're always last on the list of priorities.

By looking at supportive services and the programs that we can offer to them, for them to elevate and really take advantage of that, all the important things are coming to them — all the love and support that they have — to be the center of the universe. And that's not an easy thing. That sounds great, like I want to be the center of the universe. Actually, patients have a hard time with that. Of course, they're not used to being in that role. They're used to being the caretaker, the provider, doing a million different jobs, and they’re always last.

Exercise is extremely important for reducing breast cancer recurrence and for general health — obviously, heart disease is a worse problem than breast cancer — so exercise is great to prevent heart disease and obviously important to prevent recurrence. So I say to women, “Well, you've got to exercise four or five times a week, 45 minutes of cardio.” They look at me like, “I can't do that.” It's like, “My life can’t.” No, you need to do that. This is important. This is as important as the medication that we might give you or the treatments that you might get.

To begin to sort of embrace that — that this is really a comprehensive approach to wellness — it has to include all the aspects.
Transcript has been edited for clarity and conciseness.

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