title: Phase Angle of Bioelectrical Impedance Analysis as Prognostic Factor in Palliative Care Patients at the National Cancer Institute in Mexico.
abstract: Patients with advanced cancer often experience symptoms of disease and treatment that contribute to distress such as weight loss, which is present in up to 85% of cancer patients. Palliative care in these patients focuses on care aimed at improving quality of life. Phase angle (PA) is obtained by bioelectric impedance analysis (BIA) and is associated with cellular function. It is considered a reliable marker of malnutrition. A low PA may suggest deterioration of the cell membrane, which in palliative patients may result in a short-term survival. The aim of this study was to associate PA and survival in palliative patients of the National Cancer Institute of Mexico. We included 452 patients (women, 56.4%); the average PA was 4.0°. The most frequent disease was gastric cancer (39.2%). Mean body mass index (BMI) was 22.84. The average survival of patients with PA ≤ 4° was 86 days, while in the group with PA > 4°, it was 163 days (P > 0.0001). PA showed significant positive correlation with survival time and BMI. Our results corroborate the reliability of PA in Mexican population, as an indicator of survival in palliative care patients compared to the reported literature in other countries.
authors.affiliation: a Palliative Care Department , National Cancer Institute , Mexico City , Mexico.|b Postgraduate and Research Department , Medical Faculty, National Polytechnic Institute , Mexico City , Mexico.
authors.forename: Dana A
authors.initials: DA
authors.lastname: Pérez Camargo
authors.affiliation: a Palliative Care Department , National Cancer Institute , Mexico City , Mexico.
authors.forename: Silvia R
authors.initials: SR
authors.lastname: Allende Pérez
authors.affiliation: c Hematology and Oncology Department , National Institute of Medical Sciences and Nutrition Salvador Zubiran , Mexico City , Mexico.
authors.forename: Mónica M
authors.initials: MM
authors.lastname: Rivera Franco
authors.affiliation: b Postgraduate and Research Department , Medical Faculty, National Polytechnic Institute , Mexico City , Mexico.
authors.forename: Nelson E
authors.initials: NE
authors.lastname: Álvarez Licona
authors.affiliation: d Immediate Attention Department , National Cancer Institute , Mexico City , Mexico.
authors.forename: Víctor I
authors.initials: VI
authors.lastname: Urbalejo Ceniceros
authors.affiliation: a Palliative Care Department , National Cancer Institute , Mexico City , Mexico.
authors.forename: Lilian E
authors.initials: LE
authors.lastname: Figueroa Baldenegro
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D001823:Body Composition; D015992:Body Mass Index; D017097:Electric Impedance; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008800:Mexico; D008875:Middle Aged; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000401:mortality* / Q000628:therapy*; D010166:Palliative Care / Q000379:methods*; D011446:Prospective Studies; D011788:Quality of Life; D015996:Survival Rate