Predictors of functional capacity in colorectal cancer patients

The aim of this study is to determine the predictors of functional capacity and explore the relationship between functional capacity, performance status, fatigue, quality of life, anxiety, and depression in colorectal cancer (CRC) patients.

Forty-two patients diagnosed as stage II-III CRC according to tumor, node, metastasis (TNM) classification were included the study. Functional capacity, performance status, fatigue, quality of life, anxiety, and depression of CRC patients were assessed using six-minute walk distance (6MWD) in the six-minute walk test (6MWT), Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group Performance Status (ECOG-PS), Brief Fatigue Inventory (BFI), Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy-Colorectal (FACT-C), and Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS), respectively. A multiple linear regression model was used to identify independent predictors of functional capacity.

The six-minute walk distance (6MWD) was intermediately and negatively correlated with ECOG-PS score (p = 0.001, r = -0.415), BFI-impact of fatigue on daily functioning score (p = 0.013, r = -0.379), and age (p = 0.040, r = -0.319). An intermediate and positive correlation was found between 6MWD and FACT-C score (p = 0.016, r = 0.369). The multiple regression analysis revealed that only ECOG-PS score was significant and independent predictor of the 6MWD, accounted for 34.8 % of the variance.

Performance status was found to be the only significant predictor of functional capacity in this study. Assessing performance status may have an essential role in order to predict functional capacity in CRC patients. Future studies that include a larger sample size would more clearly elucidate the predictors and relationships of functional capacity.