Association Between Nutrition Status and Survival in Elderly Patients With Colorectal Cancer

• Published in: Nutrition in clinical practice Vol. 32; no. 5; p. 658
• Main Authors: Barao, Katia, Abe Vicente Cavagnari, Mariana, Silva Fucuta, Patricia, Manoukian Forones, Nora
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States 01.10.2017
• Subjects: Aged; Aged, 80 and over; Body Mass Index; Brazil - epidemiology; Cohort Studies; Colorectal Neoplasms - mortality; Colorectal Neoplasms - pathology; Colorectal Neoplasms - physiopathology; Colorectal Neoplasms - therapy; Elder Nutritional Physiological Phenomena; Electric Impedance; Female; Follow-Up Studies; Geriatric Assessment; Hospitals, University; Humans; Male; Malnutrition - epidemiology; Malnutrition - etiology; Malnutrition - mortality; Middle Aged; Neoplasm Staging; Nutritional Status; Prevalence; Risk; Survival Analysis; Thinness - epidemiology; Thinness - etiology; Thinness - mortality; nutritional status; colorectal cancer; nutrition assessment; PG-SGA; survival; bioelectrical impedance; phase angle
• ISSN: 1941-2452
• DOI: 10.1177/0884533617706894

Aging patients with cancer have a higher risk of mortality and treatment-associated morbidity than younger patients. Nutrition status may play an important role in cancer mortality. We aimed to evaluate the survival time of elderly patients with colorectal cancer and its association with body mass index (BMI), the patient-generated subjective global assessment (PG-SGA), and phase angle (PA). BMI, PG-SGA, and PA were determined for all patients (n = 250) at first assessment. Seventy-one (28.4%) patients were in active oncologic treatment (group 1) and 179 (71.6%) were in remission (group 2). At the time of the analysis, 73 (29.2%) patients had died and 177 (70.8%) were censored. The mean (standard deviation) age was 70.9 (7.49) years; 17.2% were undernourished, 56% normal weight, and 26.8% were overweight. According to the PG-SGA, 35.2% of patients needed some nutrition intervention and 4.4% needed it urgently. The mean PA was 4.94 ± 1°. PG-SGA, tumor stage, and PA differed significantly ( P < .001) between the groups; BMI did not ( P = .459). Severe malnutrition (PG-SGA C), compared with PG-SGA A, was associated with a relative hazard of death of 12.04 (95% confidence interval [CI], 3.43-42.19, P < .001). PA >5° was associated with better prognosis: a relative hazard of 0.456 (95% CI, 0.263-0.792; P < .005). Among elderly patients with colorectal cancer, PA and PG-SGA were prognosis factors. PA >5° was associated with best survival and PG-SGA C with worst survival.