The Study

What is the purpose?

The COBRA study investigates changes in body composition, which is especially the amount of adipose and muscular tissue, of women with breast cancer who are treated with or undergoing chemotherapy. Therefore, we study how women experience possible changes in diet, physical activity and quality of life during treatment and which suggestions they have in order to deal with those changes. Women who have not been diagnosed with breast cancer are also included in this study in order to determine which body changes are caused by chemotherapy and which effects occur in “healthy” women of the same age group.

What does the study involve?

The study consists of two research methods: quantitative and qualitative. In the quantitative research of the study all participants undergo body measurements, donate blood samples and fill out questionnaires. For the qualitative research of the study a smaller group of participants is invited to take part in interviews, and after the interviews focus groups will be organized. All participants were monitored for a period of one year.

Participants

The recruitment of patients for the COBRA study is finished. At this moment, all data are being analysed.

Research team

Prof Ellen Kampman (Principal investigator and Professor Diet and Disease)
Dr Dieuwertje Kok (Senior researcher)
Dr Renate Winkels (Senior researcher)
PhD candidates and Research Assistants