Weight Gain and Loss In Cancer Patients Undergoing Chemotherapy: Importance of Dose Adjustment

Abstract

The established dose of chemotherapy is based on the values of the patient's body weight, where variations during treatment can increase the toxicity of chemotherapy, with the development of nephrotoxicity, among other toxicity profiles, as well as in cases of weight gain, patients may receive low doses and compromise the therapeutic response to the tumor. to evaluate weight gain and loss in cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy. Methods: Longitudinal analytical study with patients at the end of chemotherapy treatment of both genders. The type, location of the tumor and the antineoplastic agent used were collected from the medical records, as well as height and weight at the beginning of treatment. At the time of collection, anthropometric assessment was performed using body mass index, arm circumference, arm muscle circumference, triceps skinfold thickness and percentage of weight loss. Among the patients included in the study, 47.5% had a weight gain of around 2.5 kg, while the remaining patients (52.5%) had a weight loss of around 2.8 kg. Of the patients who had GFR, 55.5% had severe PP, 33.4% had no significant loss and 11.1 had significant loss. In the current study, only 22% had a GFR <60ml/min/1.73m², but they would already need to readjust the medication calculation. It is important to evaluate body surface variations and also the GFR to adjust the dose of the antineoplastic agent and to prevent or minimize nephrotoxicity, as well as to reduce the risk of underdosing and inefficiency of the therapy.