Examining variations in body composition among patients with colorectal cancer according to site and disease stage
Mayra Laryssa da Silva Nascimento, Nithaela Alves Bennemann, Iasmin Matias de Sousa, Mara Rúbia de Oliveira Bezerra, Gabriela Villaça Chaves, Sara Maria Moreira Lima Verde, Sílvia Fernandes Maurício, José Barreto Campello Carvalheira, Maria Carolina Santos Mendes, Ana Lucia Miranda, Jarson Pedro da Costa Pereira, Marı́a Cristina González, Carla M. Prado, Ana Paula Trussardi Fayh
Abstract
Abstract Patients with colorectal cancer (CRC) often exhibit changes in body composition (BC) which are associated with poorer clinical outcomes. Many studies group colon and rectal cancers together, irrespective of staging, potentially affecting assessment and treatment strategies. Our study aimed to compare BC in patients with CRC focusing on tumor location and metastasis presence. A total of 635 individuals were evaluated, with a mean age of 61.8 ± 12.4 years and 50.2% female. The majority had rectal cancer as the primary cancer site (51.0%), and 23.6% had metastatic disease. The first regression model showed tumor site and metastasis as independent factors influencing skeletal muscle (SM), skeletal muscle index (SMI), and visceral adipose tissue variability (all p values < 0.05). The second model, adjusted for BMI, indicated tumor site as the primary factor affecting SMI variations (adjusted R 2 = 0.50 p < 0.001), with colon tumors inversely associated with SM (standardized β − 2.15(− 3.3; − 0.9) p < 0.001). A third model, considering all the confounders from the directed acyclic graphs, was constructed and the found association remained independent. Our findings highlight significant BC variations in patients with CRC, influenced by tumor location and metastases presence, underscoring the need for location-specific assessment in CRC management.