title: Performance status of male and female advanced cancer patients is independently predicted by mid-upper arm circumference measurement.
abstract: In the advanced cancer patient, performance status has considerable prognostic power. Karnofsky performance status, together with variables reported to influence its score, was measured in advanced gastrointestinal cancer patients (n = 148). For male and female patients, age, body mass index, weight loss, triceps skinfold thickness, mid-upper arm circumference, albumin, C-reactive protein, and tumor type and stage were regressed against Karnofsky performance status. On multiple regression analysis, only mid-upper arm circumference and log10 C-reactive protein in men (r2 = 0.462, P < 0.0001) and only mid-upper arm circumference and weight loss in women (r2 = 0.485, P < 0.01) were independent predictors of Karnofsky performance status. There was a significant partial correlation, with gender as a covariable, between log10 C-reactive protein and albumin (r = -0.530, P < 0.0001) and mid-upper arm circumference (r = -0.269, P = 0.035) and weight loss (r = 0.286, P = 0.024). The results of the present study indicate that mid-upper arm circumference is a major factor that influences performance status in male and female patients with advanced gastrointestinal cancer.
authors.affiliation: University Department of Surgery, Royal Infirmary, Glasgow G31 2ER, UK. d.c.mcmillan@clinmed.gla.ac.uk
authors.forename: Donald C
authors.initials: DC
authors.lastname: McMillan
authors.forename: Lynn M
authors.initials: LM
authors.lastname: Forrest
authors.forename: Patricia
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: O'Gorman
authors.forename: Wilson J
authors.initials: WJ
authors.lastname: Angerson
authors.forename: Colin S
authors.initials: CS
authors.lastname: McArdle
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000886:Anthropometry; D001132:Arm / Q000033:anatomy & histology*; D002097:C-Reactive Protein / Q000032:analysis; D005260:Female; D005770:Gastrointestinal Neoplasms / Q000209:etiology* / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012044:Regression Analysis; D015431:Weight Loss
chemical_list: D002097:C-Reactive Protein