Nutritional and functional factors as prognostic of surgical cancer patients

Abstract

We evaluated phase angle, sarcopenia, and handgrip strength as prognostic factors of postoperative morbimortality in patients with cancer. We conducted a prospective study with 60 oncology patients admitted for elective surgery between November 2015 and May 2016. We calculated the standardized phase angle (SPA) and the skeletal mass index of the subjects based on their bioelectrical impedance tests. Handgrip strength (HGS) was measured using a hydraulic dynamometer. Diagnosis of sarcopenia followed the criteria of the European Working Group on Sarcopenia in Older People. The nutritional status of each subject was evaluated through the Patient-Generated Subjective Global Assessment. Evaluation of postoperative complications followed the Clavien-Dindo classification. We also evaluated the duration of hospital stay. Outcomes were postoperative complications and duration of hospital stay. The prevalence of malnutrition was 28.3%, and the prevalence of sarcopenia was 18.6%. The SPA was significantly lower among those who had severe postoperative complications or long hospital stays, while HGS and sarcopenia showed no relationship with these outcomes. Malnutrition was also related to postoperative outcomes. SPA can be considered a prognostic factor in postoperative morbimortality for patients with cancer.