Phase angle, physical quality of life and functionality in cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy

Nutritional deficiency, especially malnutrition, is frequent in cancer patients and is associated with changes in body composition, such as low muscle mass. Phase angle (PhA) has been used as a prognostic indicator and may be related to nutritional status, functionality, and quality of life in these patients. The objectives of this study were to assess the effect of chemotherapy treatment on PhA values, comparing the PhA variation before and after treatment, and to evaluate the PhA correlation, as a muscle mass surrogate, with the physical domain of quality of life, functionality, and nutritional risk in a sample of patients with cancer.

A longitudinal study was conducted in patients with cancer undergoing chemotherapy for the first time. All patients aged 18 years or older, newly diagnosed, and undergoing chemotherapy for the first time were included. To analyze the difference in the PhA means according to the different classification variables, the t-test - or ANOVA - was used. The variation of the final and initial PhA was evaluated through the linear regression test.

A total of 175 patients were analyzed, of which 66.3% were female. The mean PhA of the initial assessment was significantly higher when compared to the final assessment of the patients PhA (p = 0.018). In both the initial and final assessments, PhA was correlated with the physical domain (r = 0.29; p < 0.001 and r = 0.19; p = 0.021) and with the functionality score (r = - 0.32; p < 0.001 and r = - 0.30; p < 0.001) and total PG-SGA (r = - 0.31; p < 0.001 and r = - 0.23; p = 0.006).

PhA can be considered a predictor of physical quality of life and functionality in cancer patients receiving chemotherapy treatment.