[Body fat percentage and natural killer cell activity of breast and rectal cancer patients after diagnosis but before treatment].
OBJECTIVE
To examine the relationship between body fat percentage (BFP) and N-K cell activity (NKCA) in Korean breast and rectal cancer patients just after diagnosis.


METHODS
With 35 subjects enrolled between November 2002 and May 2003, Bioelectrical Impedance Analysis was used to estimate BFP. FACS Analysis was used to measure N-K cell activity. The relationships between BFP and NKCA were identified by using curve estimation, simple regression, and multiple regression.


RESULTS
The mean BFPs of the subjects and all the sub-groups were higher than acceptable BFPs. Both the mean NKCAs of male and female subjects were lower than that of healthy women. NKCA was explained by BFP with a 14.9% variance in the total subjects (p<.05). There were significant negative relationships between BFP and NKCA after controlling age, type of cancer, and stage of cancer while no significant relationship was found after controlling for gender. The relationships between BFP and NKCA in the sub-groups of female, breast cancer, and stage I, and II were significant. The relationships between male, rectal cancer, and the stage III, and VI sub-groups were not identified, but they revealed a mild to moderate steep in curve estimation.


CONCLUSIONS
Weight reduction could prevent the risk and advancement of breast and rectal cancer in Koreans.
Kim
Dal Sook
DS
Department of Nursing, Chungnam National University, Jung-gu, Daejeon, Korea. dskim@cnu.ac.kr
Jun
Myung Hee
MH
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D050218:Body Fat Distribution; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000523:psychology; D003602:Cytotoxicity, Immunologic; D003627:Data Interpretation, Statistical; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007694:Killer Cells, Natural / Q000276:immunology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012004:Rectal Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000523:psychology