Handgrip Strength Is Associated With Treatment Modifications During Neoadjuvant Chemoradiation in Patients With...

Area of Science:

• Oncology
• Nutrition Science
• Clinical Research

Background:

• Early nutrition intervention improves outcomes in esophageal cancer.
• The impact of pretreatment nutrition status on treatment modifications during chemoradiation (CR) is unclear, especially with intensive nutritional supervision.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the association between pretreatment nutrition status parameters and treatment modifications (TMs) in esophageal cancer patients undergoing neoadjuvant CR with intensive nutritional support.

Main Methods:

• A cohort of 162 esophageal cancer outpatients undergoing CR was analyzed.
• Nutrition status was assessed using BMI, weight loss, fat mass index, fat-free mass index, handgrip strength, and energy/protein intake.
• Logistic regression analyses, adjusted for confounders, were used to determine associations with TMs (delay, dose reduction, hospitalization, mortality).

Main Results:

• 22% of patients experienced at least one TM, most commonly unplanned hospitalization (11%).
• Pretreatment body mass index, weight loss, fat mass index, and fat-free mass index were not significantly associated with TMs.
• Lower handgrip strength was the only pretreatment nutrition parameter significantly associated with increased odds of TMs (OR, 0.93; 95% CI, 0.88-1.00).

Conclusions:

• Pretreatment nutrition status parameters had limited influence on treatment modifications in this cohort.
• Handgrip strength emerged as a key indicator, with lower levels predicting a higher likelihood of treatment modifications during CR for esophageal cancer.