Resting energy expenditure in patients with metastatic colorectal cancer.

Abstract

e21102 Background: Resting energy expenditure (REE) has been measured in patients with cancer with nonconclusive results. Studies have included heterogeneous populations with different primary cancers and stages of the disease. It has been postulated that REE is increased in patients with cancer and recently there is interest in energy consumption, metabolism and the genesis of cancer. This study is limited to patients with metastatic colorectal cancer. Methods: Informed consent and ethics institutional committee approval were obtained. Twenty patients with metastatic colorectal cancer were entered in the study from January 2009 to November 2010. Antropometric body measurements and indirect calorimetry were performed during their outpatient clinic visits. Patients were classified as hypermetabolic if they were 110% above their predicted REE (according to the Harris Benedict formula), Hypometabolic if they were under 9% of predicted, and normometabolic within 10% and 100% of predicted. Data were compared with a normal control group. SPSS software was used for statistical analysis. Results: 20 patients with a diagnosis of metastatic colorectal cancer 14 male and 6 female were included. Median age was 51 years, sites of metastases were liver 12 (60%), peritoneum 4 (20%), others 4 (20%). During the time of study 17 patients were on chemotherapy (85%), 2 were on radiotherapy (10%). Of the study group 11 patients (55%) were found to be hypermetabolic, 5 were normometabolic (25%), and 4 were hypometabolic. This did not differ significantly from the control group, where 40% of the patients were hypermetabolic. Analysis restricted to the patients with liver metastases 9 patients (81.8%) were found to be hypermetabolic as compared to 40% in the control group and statistically significant (p less than .05). There were no significant associations between patients in remission or with progressive disease with REE. Conclusions: There was a marked tendency towards hypermetabolism in patients with colorectal cancer with liver metastases as seen with this indirect calorimetry measurement. We did not find an increase in REE in the whole group as compared to the controls.