How to Strengthen the Body Through Breast Cancer Treatment
By Dr. Doreen DeStefano, DNP, NHD, APRN
October brings pink ribbons, screening reminders, survivor stories, and conversations about early detection. All of that matters. But for the woman who has already heard the words “You have breast cancer,” awareness is no longer enough. She needs to know what she can do next.
That question is at the heart of my book, Biohacking Cancer. I wrote it because cancer care should involve more than identifying a tumor and selecting a drug. We also need to understand the person carrying that tumor: her metabolism, immune function, hormones, inflammation, nutritional status, genetics, stress response, environmental exposures, and ability to recover.
I describe this as treating the tumor while strengthening the terrain.
Breast Cancer Is Not One Disease
The words “breast cancer” describe many biologically different diseases. An estrogen-receptor-positive tumor behaves differently from HER2-positive or triple-negative breast cancer. Even two tumors with the same diagnosis may have different mutations, metabolic vulnerabilities, growth signals, and treatment responses.
This is why my work begins with assessment. I review the pathology, receptor status, molecular testing, family history, current treatment plan, medications, supplements, laboratory findings, symptoms, and previous responses to treatment. When appropriate, we may assess circulating tumor DNA, inherited genetic variants, tumor genomics, insulin and glucose regulation, inflammation, nutrient levels, thyroid function, hormones, immune markers, and gastrointestinal health.
Testing is not about collecting impressive reports. It is about finding information that changes what we do. One of the central messages in Biohacking Cancer is that a cancer plan should be built around the individual. The woman in front of me is never simply a diagnosis, a stage, or a treatment protocol. She is a complete biological system, and every part of that system influences how she experiences treatment.
Helping Patients Stay Strong During Treatment
Chemotherapy, radiation, surgery, immunotherapy, and targeted therapies place very different demands on the body. My role is to help patients prepare for those demands, support healthy tissue, address side effects, and recover more effectively between treatments.
Depending on the patient, this may include personalized nutrition, metabolic support, carefully selected intravenous nutrients, hyperbaric oxygen, regional hyperthermia, photodynamic or sonodynamic therapies, immune support, stress regulation, movement, sleep optimization, and strategies for maintaining muscle mass.
Timing matters. Certain supplements or therapies may complement treatment, while others may interfere if used at the wrong time. A supplement can be helpful in one setting and inappropriate in another. Natural does not automatically mean safe, and more is not always better. Every therapy should have a purpose, a schedule, and a clear relationship to the patient’s oncology treatment.
Clinical guidelines support incorporating selected exercise, nutritional, mind-body, and integrative interventions into cancer care to improve function, quality of life, and treatment-related symptoms (Greenlee et al., 2017; Ligibel et al., 2022). My approach expands that supportive-care conversation by asking what is driving this particular patient’s terrain and which interventions best fit her biology.
Supporting the Terrain
The tumor is important, but it is not growing in isolation. Elevated insulin, poor glucose regulation, chronic inflammation, loss of muscle, disrupted sleep, hormonal imbalance, nutrient depletion, toxic exposures, and immune dysfunction can influence the environment surrounding cancer. These factors also affect energy, resilience, healing, and treatment tolerance.
In Biohacking Cancer, I teach patients how to evaluate these interconnected systems and build a coordinated plan. Nutrition may be adjusted to improve metabolic health while maintaining adequate protein and lean body mass. Laboratory testing can identify deficiencies or inflammatory patterns. Exercise can be modified around fatigue, surgery, neuropathy, or treatment days. Sleep and stress support become part of the medical strategy because the nervous and immune systems are constantly communicating.
The goal is to identify the highest-value changes and make them manageable. Cancer patients already have enough to carry. A good plan creates clarity rather than adding another layer of confusion.
Creating a Plan Beyond the Last Treatment
Many patients reach the end of active treatment and suddenly feel abandoned. Appointments become less frequent, yet the fear of recurrence remains. They are often told to return in several months for another scan or blood test without receiving a meaningful plan for what to do in between.
I believe survivorship planning should begin before treatment ends. We can monitor recovery, rebuild strength, correct nutritional deficiencies, improve metabolic health, address treatment-related hormone changes, and establish an individualized surveillance strategy. We can also help patients understand which habits deserve their energy and which trends are mostly noise.
Breast Cancer Awareness Month should remind us to schedule appropriate screening. It should also remind every woman facing breast cancer that she deserves care that sees the whole picture. Cancer treatment is something a patient receives. Healing also requires her participation.
My work, and the message of Biohacking Cancer, is to help each patient understand her body, make informed decisions, and create a plan that supports her through treatment and into the life she is working so hard to protect.
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References:
Greenlee, H., DuPont-Reyes, M. J., Balneaves, L. G., Carlson, L. E., Cohen, M. R., Deng, G., Johnson, J. A., Mumber, M., Seely, D., Zick, S. M., Boyce, L. M., & Tripathy, D. (2017). Clinical practice guidelines on the evidence-based use of integrative therapies during and after breast cancer treatment. CA: A Cancer Journal for Clinicians, 67(3), 194–232. https://doi.org/10.3322/caac.21397
Ligibel, J. A., Bohlke, K., May, A. M., Clinton, S. K., Demark-Wahnefried, W., Gilchrist, S. C., Irwin, M. L., Late, M., Mansfield, S., Marshall, T. F., Meyerhardt, J. A., Thomson, C. A., Wood, W. A., & Alfano, C. M. (2022). Exercise, diet, and weight management during cancer treatment: ASCO guideline. Journal of Clinical Oncology, 40(22), 2491–2507. https://doi.org/10.1200/JCO.22.00687
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