Serum uric acid concentration is not associated with handgrip strength, lean body mass or survival in gastrointestinal cancer patients.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Serum uric acid (UA) concentrations are associated with physical capacity and muscle strength. In cancer patients, this relationship may influence the prognosis and survival. However, studies are controversial and require further research. Thus, this study aimed to evaluate if there is an association between the serum UA concentrations with handgrip strength (HGS), lean body mass (LBM) and survival probability in gastrointestinal tract cancer patients. METHODS: A retrospective cross-sectional study enrolled patients of both genders and over 18 years old. All data was collected from medical records after an initial consultation with a dietitian. UA concentrations were dichotomized using the sample mean values, high ≥4.17 mg/dL and low <4.17 mg/dL. RESULTS: From the 101 patients, 46 were women and 55 men. Those with high UA also included individuals with a history of smoking (p = 0.004), greater HGS (p = 0.008), greater LBM (p = 0.026) and a greater total caloric intake (p = 0.028). In the logistic regression analysis, no association was found between UA and HGS (OR: 1.03 95% CI: 0.96-1.10, p = 0.337) and LBM (OR: 1.03 95% CI: 0.96-1.11, p = 0.301) after adjusting for gender, whether or not the patient smokes, and total caloric intake. Further, survival probability did not change among the high and low UA concentrations. CONCLUSION: In gastrointestinal tract cancer patients, serum UA concentrations were not linked to muscle strength, lean mass nor survival.

Are depression and anxiety disorders associated with adductor pollicis muscle thickness, sleep duration, and protein intake in cancer patients?

INTRODUCTION: Psychological disturbances may be associated with compromised body composition and food intake. However, this has not been elucidated totally. Thus, this study aimed to evaluate the prevalence of anxiety and depression, and whether there is an association between these disorders and adductor pollicis muscle thickness (APMT), protein intake and sleep duration, in gastrointestinal cancer patients. METHODS: A cross-sectional study evaluated 117 patients of both genders diagnosed with gastrointestinal cancer. Protein intake was assessed by the USDA food database; sleep duration by self-administered questionnaire; and APMT using the skinfold. The Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) was used to measure anxiety (HADS-A) and depression (HADS-D). RESULTS: A total of 117 (65% male) patients were assessed, of which 40 (34%) had anxiety and 39 (33%) depression. There was a negative correlation between APMT and anxiety (r = -0.20, p = .020) and depression (r = -0.19, p = .03), and between anxiety and sleep duration (r = -0.30, p = .001). Although there was an inverse association between anxiety and APMT (OR: 0.88, 95%CI: 0.79-0.99, p = .032) and sleep duration (OR: 0.71, 95%CI: 0.58-0.87, p = .001), when adjusted for gender and age, the association remained only between anxiety and sleep duration (OR: 0.71, 95%CI: 0.58-0.87, p = .001). CONCLUSION: One-third of gastrointestinal cancer patients were classified as expressing anxiety and depression. Additionally, only sleep duration is associated with anxiety.