Presenter(s)

Paige Lynn Ingram

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Description

Twelve percent of women suffer from breast cancer each year, but survivorship is increasing due to improvements in treatments. However, it appears there are lasting effects after treatment due to the toxicity of chemotherapy compounds. One of the most severe side effects is peripheral neuropathy which results in decreased sensation in the nervous system. With this loss, an individual’s balance and postural stability is likely impacted, leading to an altered quality of life. Monfort et al. at the Ohio State University are among the first to identify balance deficits in breast cancer patients during treatment, even after the first treatment cycle. We recently joined with them as they extended this work to include long-term follow-up testing after the completion of treatment. Our efforts specifically investigate postural stability, range of motion, and balance control while individuals stand on a force plate, looking at variances between individuals receiving different treatments and experiencing diverse outcomes. Preliminary data analysis from the limits of stability balance tests suggest there are differences between the three subject groups, with those not receiving neurotoxic chemotherapy showing the most consistent improvement 6 months after treatment. Breast cancer survivors that were treated with neurotoxic chemotherapy had varied individual responses 6 months post treatment. Further data analysis using traditional and alternative postural measures is currently underway to ascertain postural differences between the subject groups; however our results suggest that interventions to improve the postural stability of those treated with neurotoxic chemotherapy may be warranted.

Publication Date

4-24-2019

Project Designation

Honors Thesis

Primary Advisor

Kim E. Bigelow

Primary Advisor's Department

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering

Keywords

Stander Symposium project

A Comparative Analysis of Breast Cancer Treatments and the Role of Taxane-based Chemotherapy-induced Peripheral Neuropathy on Postural Stability

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