Lifestyle, nutrition, sport, and their importance in prevention of hereditary cancer in women

In Germany, 37% of all cancer cases are attributed to an unhealthy lifestyle and thus could be avoided. This unhealthy lifestyle is characterized by increasing rates of obesity, lack of physical activity, and unhealthy nutritional behavior. These factors, together with alcohol consumption and nicotine abuse, are considered to be key factors in the development of a variety of cancer diseases, particularly breast cancer. Moreover, evidence suggests that even in women with an inherited predisposition to breast cancer as the result of a mutation in one of the BRCA genes, physical activity and normal body weight might result in a reduction of cancer risk. The LIBRE study is the first prospective-randomized lifestyle intervention study worldwide for carriers of a pathogenic BRCA1/2 germline mutation, aiming to investigate the impact of behavior modification on breast cancer incidence, prognosis, and mortality. Targeted prevention and additional treatment choices for hereditary and sporadic breast cancer are the main future objectives described in this work.