THE EFFECTS OF PHYSICAL EXERCISE AND PROTEIN -ENRICHED SUPPLEMENTATION IN WOMEN UNDERGOING BREAST CANCER

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ABSTRACT Introduction. Cancer great challenges to global public health, and breast cancer is the most common type in women. During oncological treatment, changes in body composition, such as loss of muscle mass, compromise patients’ p rognosis and quality of life. Nutritional supplementation and supervised physical activity have positive effects on maintaining skeletal muscle mass, reducing fatigue, improving functional capacity, and improving the prognosis of these patients. Dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DEXA) and ultrasonography are used to assess and monitor changes in body composition. The combination of imaging findings and skeletal and cardiac muscle injury biomarkers enables a broader evaluation of the treatment impact and supports the clinical management of breast cancer patients. Objective. To assess body composition in patients with breast cancer during oncological treatment using dual -energy X-ray absorptiometry (DEXA) and ultrasonography, and correlate imaging findings wit h plasma muscular and cardiac injury biomarkers to identify early indicators toxicity and their impacts on patients’ prognosis and quality of life. Methods: To evaluate the association between DEXA and ultrasound findings with clinical and laboratory measu rements in women with breast cancer undergoing oncological treatment, receiving nutritional supplementation, and supervised physical exercise. Results: It is expected that participants in the intervention group will exhibit improvements in body composition, with preservation of lean mass and muscle loss throughout oncological treatment. Improvements in functional capacity, reduction of fatigue, and better quality of life are also anticipated. Regarding imaging methods, DEXA and ultrasonography are expected to be effective for monitoring changes in body composition correlate with biomarkers of skeletal muscle and cardiac injury, thereby contributing to a more comprehensive assessment of therapeutic impact in patients with breast cancer. Hypothesis: Women with breast cancer undergoing oncological treatment who participate in supervised physical exercise combined with highprotein nutritional supplementation are expected to have better preservation of muscle mass, improved functional capacity, and better prognostic outcomes compared with the placebo group. Furthermore, findings from DEXA and ultrasonography are expected to be associated with biomarkers of skeletal and cardiac muscle injury, enabling early identification of treatment-related toxicity.