Abstract
Background: There is a need to better understand the relationship between functional impairment and muscle mass in cancer cachexia. This study aimed to establish the relationship between computed tomography (CT)-derived muscle cross-sectional area (CSA), radiodensity, and skeletal muscle index (SMI) and dual energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) parameters with functional performance in cancer patients.Materials and Methods: Handgrip strength, stair climb power (SCP), one-repetition maximum (1RM) strength, and body composition (CT and DXA) were compared across cancer patients with cachexia (CAC; N = 28), without cachexia (CNC; N = 28), and non-cancer patients (CON; N = 19). Multivariate regression was performed to find predictors of function.Results: CAC had lower CT muscle CSA and SMI and lower DXA appendicular lean mass (ALM) than CNC or CON (p ≤ 0.011). Muscle radiodensity was not different across groups despite larger proportion of low CT SMI in CAC, and CAC performed worse in SCP than CON (p = 0.018). In cancer patients, DXA ALM and CT muscle CSA each predicted physical function (p ≤ 0.05); muscle radiodensity did not, and DXA ALM explained more variability in SCP and 1RM than CT muscle CSA.Conclusions: Stair climb power was reduced in cancer cachexia; muscle radiodensity was not. Muscle mass by CT or DXA, but not radiodensity, predicted functional performance in cancer patients.
Highlights
Cancer cachexia (CAC) is a complex metabolic syndrome characterized by involuntary loss of muscle, with or without loss of fat, leading to functional impairment [1]
Stair climb power was reduced in cancer cachexia; muscle radiodensity was not
Muscle cross-sectional area (CSA) was significantly lower in CAC than patients without cachexia (CNC) or weight stable (CON) (p < 0.001, Table 2)
Summary
Cancer cachexia (CAC) is a complex metabolic syndrome characterized by involuntary loss of muscle, with or without loss of fat, leading to functional impairment [1]. While HGS and SCP were not responsive to these respective treatments, it is not known whether other aspects of physical function that were not captured may have been impacted in those trials. Due to the complexity of CAC, there is a pressing need to improve our understanding of functional impairment in CAC to better inform methodology, intervention goals, and endpoints in future clinical trials. There is a need to better understand the relationship between functional impairment and muscle mass in cancer cachexia. This study aimed to establish the relationship between computed tomography (CT)-derived muscle cross-sectional area (CSA), radiodensity, and skeletal muscle index (SMI) and dual energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) parameters with functional performance in cancer patients
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
