Influence of Body Composition Assessed by Computed Tomography on Mortality Risk in Young Women with Breast Cancer

• Published in: Nutrients Vol. 16; no. 18; p. 3175
• Main Authors: de Lima Bezerra, Agnes Denise, da Costa Pereira, Jarson Pedro, de Macedo Soares, Ingryd Fernandes, Ferreira, Glaucia Mardrini Cassiano, Miranda, Ana Lúcia, de Medeiros, Galtieri Otávio Cunha, Verde, Sara Maria Moreira Lima, Fayh, Ana Paula Trussardi
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Switzerland MDPI AG 19.09.2024; MDPI
• Subjects: Adiposity; Adult; Aging; Body Composition; Body fat; Body mass index; Brazil; Breast cancer; Breast Neoplasms - diagnostic imaging; Breast Neoplasms - mortality; Clinical outcomes; Cohort Studies; CT imaging; Data collection; Electronic health records; fat mass; Female; Females; Humans; Investigations; Medical imaging; Medical prognosis; Medical records; Mortality; muscle mass; Muscle, Skeletal - diagnostic imaging; Muscles; Musculoskeletal system; Obesity; Oncology; Physiological aspects; Prognosis; Retrospective Studies; Risk Factors; Sociodemographics; Tomography; Tomography, X-Ray Computed - methods; Type 2 diabetes; Womens health; Young Adult; Young women; Brazil; muscle mass; mortality; breast cancer; body composition; prognosis; fat mass
• DOI: 10.3390/nu16183175
• ISSN: 2072-6643

/ Increasing evidence indicates that body composition can significantly influence prognosis in women with breast cancer. However, alterations in body composition, particularly among young women (<40 years), remain largely unknown and underexplored. This study aimed to investigate the relationship of computed tomography (CT)-derived body composition with mortality rates among young women recently diagnosed with breast cancer, identifying the best-correlated cutoff value. This is a bi-set cohort study with retrospective data collection. Women newly diagnosed with ductal invasive breast cancer, aged 20 to 40 years, treated in reference oncology units were included. Body composition was assessed using CT scans at the third lumbar vertebra (L3) level, including muscle and adipose compartments. The outcome of interest was the incidence of overall mortality. A maximally selected log-rank Cox-derived analysis was employed to assess the cutoffs associated with mortality. A total of 192 women were included before any form of treatment (median age of 35 years, IQ range: 31-37). Overall mortality occurred in 12% of the females. Stages III-IV were the most frequent (69.5%). Patients who died had a significantly lower muscle area index. CT-derived muscle area was inversely associated with mortality. Each 1 cm /m decrease in skeletal muscle index increased the mortality hazard by 9%. Higher values of adiposity compartments were independently associated with higher mortality. Our study highlights the predictive significance of skeletal muscle area and adipose tissue in predicting survival among young women recently diagnosed with breast cancer.