Weight loss during radiotherapy tied to higher death risk in cancer patients

Age, site of treatment, and weight loss during radiotherapy (RT) are significant predictors of a higher risk of death in cancer patients after the 10-year follow-up, a recent study has found.

The authors determined whether changes in body weight, phase angle, and standardized phase angle correlated with longer survival in cancer patients undergoing RT in this prospective cohort study. Sixty-two patients who underwent RT between 2008 and 2009 were included in the analysis and were followed until 2019.

The authors assessed anthropometric and bioelectrical impedance analysis data before and after RT. They used the Kaplan-Meier method and the Cox proportional hazards model to calculate survival and evaluate mortality risk, respectively.

In Kaplan-Meier analysis, no significant difference was seen in survival time after the 10-year follow-up between patients who had weight loss during RT and those with weight maintenance or weight gain during RT.

The adjusted multivariate analysis revealed that age (p=0.023), site of treatment (p=0.001), and weight loss during RT (p=0.044) were associated with mortality risk. Every 1-kg lost elevated the risk of death by 25 percent compared with patients who maintained or gained weight during RT. Changes in phase angle and standardized phase angle after RT did not lead to a higher mortality risk.

“Cancer patients undergoing RT frequently experience weight loss and changes in body composition, which negatively affect their nutritional status, lead to a poor clinical prognosis, and reduce survival rates,” the authors said.