Nutritional Status, Muscle Mass, and Body Fat Percentage in Patients with Breast Cancer Undergoing Adjuvant Chemotherapy

Aims: To evaluate alterations in weight, body composition, and nutritional parameters, and to identify the clinical, anthropometric, and dietary determinants of these changes among patients with breast cancer (BC) treated with adjuvant chemotherapy (AC). 

Methods: This study involved a cohort of 252 BC patients treated with AC. Anthropometric measurements were collected using standardized equipment and body composition was evaluated via bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA). Clinical data were retrieved from the hospital's information system. Adherence to the Mediterranean Diet (MedDiet) was evaluated using a validated food frequency questionnaire.

Results: Post-AC, 29.3% and 22.7% of patients experienced moderate/high weight gain (WG ≥ 5%) and moderate/severe weight loss (MSWL ≥ 5%), respectively. The prevalence of patients with low muscle mass (LMM) and sarcopenic obesity increased from 11.5% and 2.8% pre-treatment to 15.1% and 7.9% post-treatment, respectively. Younger women (aged 24 – 39 years) exhibited reduced odds of experiencing MSWL (OR = 0.31, 95%CI: 0.08 – 1.20) and LMM (OR = 0.19, 95%CI: 0.02 – 1.61) compared to those aged ≥ 60 years. Patients with BC stages I and II were associated with increased odds of WG (OR = 2.10, 95%CI: 0.44 – 9.89; and OR = 2.13, 95%CI: 0.46 – 9.68, respectively). Relative to obese individuals, normal-weight/underweight individuals exhibited a significantly higher likelihood of WG (OR = 2.29; 95%CI: 1.03 – 5.08) and MSWL (OR = 3.23, 95%CI: 1.19 – 8.80), but a lower likelihood of LMM (OR = 0.33, 95%CI: 0.13 – 0.87). The Anthracycline-Taxane and Monoclonal-antibodies-Taxane regimens were associated with higher odds of MSWL (OR = 3.64, 95%CI: 0.35 – 36.98, and OR = 2.63, 95%CI: 1.03 – 6.72, respectively). Low and moderate adherence to the MedDiet were independently associated with an elevated risk of both WG and MSWL.

Conclusions: A substantial proportion of patients with BC experience significant weight fluctuation or deterioration in muscle mass following AC. These adverse outcomes are modulated by patient age, cancer stage or duration, baseline BMI, the specific chemotherapy regimen employed, and MeDiet adherence.

Keywords

Adjuvant chemotherapy Body composition Body mass index Breast cancer Mediterranean diet Weight change
  • Aichetou Bouh
    University Mohamed V, Faculty of Medicine and Pharmacy, Department of Medical Oncology, Translational Oncology Research group. Avenue Allal El Fassi, Rabat
  • Slimane Mehdad
    Mohammed V University, Faculty of Science, Department of Medical Oncology, Physiology and Physiopathology Research Team. 4, Avenue Ibn Batouta, Rabat
  • Nouriya El Ghoulam
    Mohammed V University, Faculty of Science, Department of Medical Oncology, Physiology and Physiopathology Research Team. 4, Avenue Ibn Batouta, Rabat
  • Daoud Daoudi
    Mohammed V University, Faculty of Science, Department of Medical Oncology, Physiology and Physiopathology Research Team. 4, Avenue Ibn Batouta, Rabat
  • Mohammed V University, Faculty of Science, Department of Medical Oncology, Physiology and Physiopathology Research Team. 4, Avenue Ibn Batouta, Rabat
  • Aicha Madkour
    Mohammed V University, Faculty of Science, Department of Medical Oncology, Physiology and Physiopathology Research Team. 4, Avenue Ibn Batouta, Rabat
  • Hassan Errihani
    University Mohamed V, Faculty of Medicine and Pharmacy, Department of Medical Oncology, Translational Oncology Research group. Avenue Allal El Fassi, Rabat
  • Saber Boutayeb
    University Mohamed V, Faculty of Medicine and Pharmacy, Department of Medical Oncology, Translational Oncology Research group. Avenue Allal El Fassi, Rabat. Centre Mohammed VI Recherche et Innovation (CM6RI) / UM6SS

How to Cite

Nutritional Status, Muscle Mass, and Body Fat Percentage in Patients with Breast Cancer Undergoing Adjuvant Chemotherapy . (2025). The North African Journal of Food and Nutrition Research, 9(20), 310-322. https://doi.org/10.51745/najfnr.9.20.310-322

Álvaro Sanz, E., Abilés, J., Garrido Siles, M., Pérez Ruíz, E., Alcaide García, J., & Rueda Domínguez, A. (2020). Impact of weight loss on cancer patients’ quality of life at the beginning of the chemotherapy. Supportive Care in Cancer, 29(2), 627-634. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00520-020-05496-9

Aversa, Z., Costelli, P., & Muscaritoli, M. (2017). Cancer-induced muscle wasting: Latest findings in prevention and treatment. Therapeutic Advances in Medical Oncology, 9(5), 369-382. https://doi.org/10.1177/1758834017698643

Bozzetti, F. (2017). Forcing the vicious circle: Sarcopenia increases toxicity, decreases response to chemotherapy and worsens with chemotherapy. Annals of Oncology, 28(9), 2107-2118. https://doi.org/10.1093/annonc/mdx271

Bray, F., Ferlay, J., Soerjomataram, I., Siegel, R. L., Torre, L. A., & Jemal, A. (2018). Global cancer statistics 2018: Globocan estimates of incidence and mortality worldwide for 36 cancers in 185 countries. CA: A Cancer Journal for Clinicians, 68(6), 394-424. https://doi.org/10.3322/caac.21492

Bray, F., Laversanne, M., Sung, H., Ferlay, J., Siegel, R. L., Soerjomataram, I., & Jemal, A. (2024). Global cancer statistics 2022: Globocan estimates of incidence and mortality worldwide for 36 cancers in 185 countries. CA: A Cancer Journal for Clinicians, 74(3), 229-263. https://doi.org/10.3322/caac.21834

Castelló, A., Boldo, E., Pérez-Gómez, B., Lope, V., Altzibar, J. M., Martín, V., Castaño-Vinyals, G., Guevara, M., Dierssen-Sotos, T., Tardón, A., Moreno, V., Puig-Vives, M., Llorens-Ivorra, C., Alguacil, J., Gómez-Acebo, I., Castilla, J., Gràcia-Lavedán, E., Dávila-Batista, V., Kogevinas, M., … Pollán, M. (2017). Adherence to the Western, Prudent and Mediterranean dietary patterns and breast cancer risk: MCC-Spain study. Maturitas, 103, 8–15. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.maturitas.2017.06.020

Cederholm, T., Jensen, G. L., Correia, M. I. T. D., Gonzalez, M. C., Fukushima, R., Higashiguchi, T., Baptista, G., Barazzoni, R., Blaauw, R., Coats, A. J. S., Crivelli, A. N., Evans, D. C., Gramlich, L., Fuchs-Tarlovsky, V., Keller, H., Llido, L., Malone, A., Mogensen, K. M., Morley, J. E., Muscaritoli, M., … GLIM Core Leadership Committee, GLIM Working Group (2019). GLIM criteria for the diagnosis of malnutrition - A consensus report from the global clinical nutrition community. Journal of Cachexia Sarcopenia and Muscle, 10(1). https://doi.org/10.1002/jpen.1440

Cespedes Feliciano, E. M., Kroenke, C. H., Bradshaw, P. T., Chen, W. Y., Prado, C. M., Weltzien, E. K., Castillo, A. L., & Caan, B. J. (2017). Postdiagnosis weight change and survival following a diagnosis of early-stage breast cancer. Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention, 26(1), 44-50. https://doi.org/10.1158/1055-9965.epi-16-0150

Cochran, W. G. (1977). Sampling techniques. John Wiley & Sons.

Couto, E., Boffetta, P., Lagiou, P., Ferrari, P., Buckland, G., Overvad, K., Dahm, C. C., Tjønneland, A., Olsen, A., Clavel-Chapelon, F., Boutron-Ruault, M.-C., Cottet, V., Trichopoulos, D., Naska, A., Benetou, V., Kaaks, R., Rohrmann, S., Boeing, H., von Ruesten, A., … Trichopoulou, A. (2011). Mediterranean dietary pattern and cancer risk in the EPIC cohort. British Journal of Cancer, 104(9), 1493–1499. https://doi.org/10.1038/bjc.2011.106

Similar Articles

31-40 of 136

You may also start an advanced similarity search for this article.

Most read articles by the same author(s)

Downloads 46

-

Views 217

-

Country (Top 10)