Estimating survival in patients with cancer receiving palliative care: is analysis of body composition using bioimpedance helpful?
BACKGROUND
This research investigated whether bioimpedance spectroscopy (BIS) has the potential to improve prognostication in an outpatient clinic for patients with cancer receiving palliative care.


METHODS
Survival time, and BIS measures of basal metabolic rate and 11 body composition parameters (extracellular fluid [ECF], intracellular fluid [ICF], ratio of ECF to ICF, fluid in trunk and each arm and leg, protein mass, mineral mass, and percent body fat) were recorded for 84 oncology patients.


RESULTS
None of the BIS measures showed a linear association with survival time. However, threshold values associated with short survival were identified for basal metabolic rate and 6 of the body composition measures related to fluid (ECF, ratio of ECF to ICF, fluid in right and left arms, and right and left legs). In addition, almost all patients who died within 6 weeks of assessment reached the threshold values for ECF and/or ECF:ICF ratio.


CONCLUSIONS
Results confirm that elevated metabolic rate and accumulation of body fluid are indicators of a poor prognosis in patients with cancer receiving palliative care. Because BIS is simple for clinicians to use, is noninvasive, and allows early detection of these parameters, it has the potential to improve prognostication.
Crawford
Gregory Brian
GB
The University of Adelaide, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia.
Robinson
Julie Ann
JA
Hunt
Roger Wayne
RW
Piller
Neil Brenton
NB
Esterman
Adrian
A
D000368:Aged; D001315:Australia; D001481:Basal Metabolism; D001823:Body Composition; D017097:Electric Impedance; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007407:Interviews as Topic; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009369:Neoplasms; D010166:Palliative Care; D013057:Spectrum Analysis; D016019:Survival Analysis; D013727:Terminal Care