Aerobic fitness values were generally below average , although 6-minute walk time was closer to population norms .
Upper and lower extremity strength was lower than population norms for women who were currently receiving cancer treatment .
Lower extremity strength was above population norms for women who had completed treatment .
Aerobic capacity and upper extremity strength in women diagnosed with breast cancer are generally lower than population norms .
QUESTION What are typical values of physical function for women diagnosed with breast cancer and how do these compare to normative data ?
Greater rate of decline in maximal aerobic capacity with age in physically active vs. sedentary healthy women.
Using a meta-analytic approach , we recently reported that the rate of decline in maximal oxygen uptake ( VO2 max ) with age in healthy women is greatest in the most physically active and smallest in the least active when expressed in milliliters per kilogram per minute per decade . We tested this hypothesis prospect ively under well-controlled laboratory conditions by study ing 156 healthy , nonobese women ( age 20 - 75 yr ) : 84 endurance-trained runners ( ET ) and 72 sedentary subjects ( S ) . ET were matched across the age range for age-adjusted 10-km running performance . Body mass was positively related with age in S but not in ET . Fat-free mass was not different with age in ET or S. Maximal respiratory exchange ratio and rating of perceived exertion were similar across age in ET and S , suggesting equivalent voluntary maximal efforts . There was a significant but modest decline in running mileage , frequency , and speed with advancing age in ET . VO2 max ( ml . kg-1 . min-1 ) was inversely related to age ( P < 0.001 ) in ET ( r = -0.82 ) and S ( r = -0.71 ) and was higher at any age in ET . Consistent with our meta-analysic findings , the absolute rate of decline in VO2 max was greater in ET ( -5.7 ml . kg-1 . min-1 . decade-1 ) compared with S ( -3.2 ml . kg-1 . min-1 . decade-1 ; P < 0 . 01 ) , but the relative ( % ) rate of decline was similar ( -9.7 vs -9 . 1%/decade ; not significant ) . The greater absolute rate of decline in VO2 max in ET compared with S was not associated with a greater rate of decline in maximal heart rate ( -5.6 vs. -6.2 beats . min-1 . decade-1 ) , nor was it related to training factors . The present cross-sectional findings provide additional evidence that the absolute , but not the relative , rate of decline in maximal aerobic capacity with age may be greater in highly physically active women compared with their sedentary healthy peers . This difference does not appear to be related to age-associated changes in maximal heart rate , body composition , or training factors
Aerobic fitness values were generally below average , although 6-minute walk time was closer to population norms .
Upper and lower extremity strength was lower than population norms for women who were currently receiving cancer treatment .
Lower extremity strength was above population norms for women who had completed treatment .
Aerobic capacity and upper extremity strength in women diagnosed with breast cancer are generally lower than population norms .
QUESTION What are typical values of physical function for women diagnosed with breast cancer and how do these compare to normative data ?