Body Composition and Biochemical Parameters of Nutritional Status: Correlation with Health-Related Quality of Life in Patients with Colorectal Cancer

• Published in: Nutrients Vol. 12; no. 7; p. 2110
• Main Authors: Balderas-Peña, Luz-Ma-Adriana, González-Barba, Faviola, Martínez-Herrera, Brenda-Eugenia, Palomares-Chacón, Ulises-Rodrigo, Durán-Anguiano, Oscar, Salazar-Páramo, Mario, Gómez-Sánchez, Eduardo, Dávalos-Cobián, Carlos, Nava-Zavala, Arnulfo-Hernán, Hernández-Chávez, Guillermo-Allan, Sat-Muñoz, Daniel
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Switzerland MDPI AG 16.07.2020; MDPI
• Subjects: Adipose tissue; Adult; Aged; Appetite loss; Biochemistry; Body Composition; Body fat; Body Fat Distribution; Cancer; Cancer Pain; Cell number; Colorectal cancer; Colorectal carcinoma; colorectal neoplasms; Colorectal Neoplasms - complications; Colorectal Neoplasms - metabolism; Colorectal Neoplasms - psychology; Complications; Correlation analysis; Cross-Sectional Studies; Emotions; Ethics; Fatigue; Fecal incontinence; Female; Hair loss; Health Status; Humans; Insomnia; Laboratories; Lymphocyte Count; Lymphocytes; Male; Malnutrition; Malnutrition - etiology; Medical prognosis; Middle Aged; Muscles; Musculoskeletal system; Nausea; Nutritional Status; Pain; patient-reported outcome measures; Patients; Quality of Life; Questionnaires; Retrospective Studies; Serum Albumin; Sex Factors; Skeletal muscle; Social Interaction; Surveys and Questionnaires; Toxicity; Vomiting; Womens health; Young Adult; United States > US; body composition; nutritional status; quality of life; patient-reported outcome measures; colorectal neoplasms
• ISSN: 2072-6643; 2072-6643
• DOI: 10.3390/nu12072110

Up to 60% of colorectal cancer (CRC) patients develop malnutrition, affecting treatment effectiveness, increasing toxicity, postoperative complications, hospital stay, and worsening health-related quality of life (HRQOL). This cross-sectional study analyzed data from 48 women and 65 men with CRC. We correlated scores of the scales from the questionnaires EORTC (European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer) Quality of Life Questionnaire Core 30 (QLQ)-C30 and Colorectal Cancer module Colorectal 29 (QLQ-CR29) with patients' body composition and clinical and biochemical indicators of nutritional status. Results: Scores on quality of life were negatively associated with the lymphocyte count (rP = -0.386) and the fat trunk percentage (rP = -0.349) in the women's group. Scores on the physical and role functioning were inversely associated with the adiposity percentage (rP = -0.486 and rP = -0.411, respectively). In men, total skeletal muscle mass (SMM) was positively associated with emotional functioning (rP = 0.450); the trunk SMM was negatively related to fatigue (rP = -0.586), nausea and vomiting (rP = -0.469), pain (rP = -0.506), and financial difficulties (rP = -0.475); additionally, serum albumin was positively related to physical, emotional, and social functioning scales (rPs = 0.395, 0.453, and 0.363, respectively) and negatively to fatigue (rP = -0.362), nausea and vomiting (rP = -0.387), and appetite loss (rP = -0.347). Among the men, the reduced SMM and biochemical, nutritional parameters were related to low scores on the EORTC QLQ-C30 and QLQ-CR29 functioning scales. In conclusion, in patients with CRC, malnourishment could have a profound effect on the patients' functionality and QoL (quality of life).