Cancer

Change in Body Composition During Cancer

Cancer is a disease in which unrestrained growth of cells occurs, developing in any part of the body organs or tissues. Cancer differs, from benign tumour such as wart or a lipoma to Malignant tumours, which can develop in lungs, breasts, intestines, skin, stomach or pancreas including testes or ovaries and others areas.  As it grows, it spreads and penetrates the tissues around it blocking passageways, destroy nerves and erode bone. Cancer cells can spread via blood vessels and lymphatic channels to other parts of the body.

Some characteristic changes on Body Composition in Cancer patients

• Wasting of Body Fat and Lean tissue (Cachexia)
• Loss of Body Cell Mass (BCM)
• Change in Body Composition

Monitoring Body Composition

Body composition of cancer patients should be assessed routinely due to the wasting of body fat and lean tissue, one contributing factor in the failure to survive. Wasting appears to occur as a result of tumour-induced catabolism and not as lack of caloric intake.

In cancer patients, loss of Body Cell Mass occurs with weight loss. This differs from wasting due to starvation as protein and BCM was found to be equally spread during starvation. Patients with anorexia nervosa had lost around 31% of there body weight but still had relative BCM (BCM/BW) which was 30% greater than that of cancer female patients who had lost only 14% of their body weight.

What was found was that alternation in body composition may depend on the type of cancer or treatment, men for example with prostate cancer that were treated with drug therapy had less Body Mass density than healthy men of the same age.