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According to a new research, chemotherapy drugs may increase the risk of muscle mitochondrial dysfunction. Dysfunctional mitochondria is the energy centers of the cells, it may contribute to fatigue and weakness that breast cancer patients. Breast cancer patients may also experience muscle loss and fatigue that limits their daily activities.
Researchers from the University of Vermont compared muscle fibers from women with breast cancer who were undergoing chemotherapy after surgical removal of cancerous tumors. The women had a lower cross-sectional area of muscle fibers — an indication of muscle loss — when compared to a healthy control group. A reduced number of mitochondria was also seen in the cancer group.
Researchers treated mouse muscle cells with the chemotherapy drugs doxorubicin and paclitaxel, medications that are commonly used to treat breast cancer. The drugs led to a lower number of mitochondria, increased oxidative stress and atrophy. Oxidative stress is a type of cellular damage that can lead to cell death and chronic disease.
The negative effect of chemotherapy drugs on muscle mitochondria provides a possible explanation for the high prevalence of fatigue and functional disability across all cancer types, including those not typically characterized by cachexia, such as breast cancer.