Body Composition and Metabolic Profile during Chemotherapy in Early-Stage Breast and Cervical Cancer Patients in Douala, Cameroon: A Hospital-Based Study

Abstract

Background: Changes in body composition during chemotherapy can adversely affect the prognosis of cancer patients. To evaluate these changes, a case-control study was conducted in the cobalt therapy departments of Douala General Hospital. The primary objective was to assess the impact of chemotherapy and disease stage on body composition changes in women with breast or cervical cancer treated at the hospital’s oncology unit. Methods: Muscle mass, body fat, and body water percentages were measured using the bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA) method, and blood samples were collected to determine albumin and creatinine concentrations. The data were analyzed using SPSS version 16 for Windows (SPSS, IBM, Chicago, IL, USA). Results: The study revealed that the mean age of breast cancer (BC) patients was 44.62±11.23 years, cervical cancer (CC) patients 50.37±10.78 years, and controls 46.11±10.43 years. Muscle mass, body fat, and body water percentages significantly decreased in cancer patients compared to controls (p=0.0028, p=0.004, and p=0.004, respectively). In BC patients, muscle mass significantly declined between stages 1 and 2 (p=0.001), while no significant changes were observed in CC patients (p=0.84). Body fat and body water percentages did not significantly change between stages 1 and 2 for either cancer type. Metabolically, creatinine levels were significantly elevated (p<0.001) and albumin levels significantly reduced (p<0.001) in cancer patients compared to controls. Between stages 1 and 2, creatinine levels showed a non-significant increase in BC patients (p=0.08) and a non-significant decrease in CC patients (p=0.95). Albumin levels significantly decreased in CC patients (p=0.01) but not in BC patients (p=0.55).