Understanding the Role of Diet, Nutrition and Body Composition in Cancer Survivorship

A special issue of Cancers (ISSN 2072-6694). This special issue belongs to the section "Cancer Survivorship and Quality of Life".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 November 2024) | Viewed by 4765

Special Issue Editor


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Guest Editor
1. School of Food and Nutritional Sciences, College of Science, Engineering and Food Science, University College Cork, Cork, Ireland
2. Cancer Research@UCC, University College Cork, Cork, Ireland
Interests: clinical nutrition; body composition; cancer cachexia; sarcopenia; cancer survivorship

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

With early detection, advancing treatment, and increasing numbers of survivors, the area of oncology survivorship, and the resources it requires, is ever emerging. The transition from patient to survivor is challenging, as these individuals are living longer with the consequences of their illness, reducing their quality of life, and impacting their long-term disease-free survival.

Nutrition is important in cancer prevention and treatment, but evidence on the role of nutrition after cancer is limited. Recommendations for dietary and lifestyle advice for cancer survivors, unless otherwise told, are simply extrapolated from those for cancer prevention. There is a growing interest in survivorship care, as part of the cancer trajectory based on a patient-centered, multidisciplinary approach, to identify the unique needs and requirements of this cohort, including those of a nutritional nature.

This Special Issue, “Understanding the Role of Diet, Nutrition and Body Composition in Cancer Survivorship”, aims to inform our knowledge of diet–cancer relationships after treatment and examine how body composition affects cancer outcomes. There is a focus on the importance of sarcopenia and other measures of body composition in the post diagnosis period and the optimal goal is to identify the research needed to inform nutritional recommendations for cancer survivors.

Dr. Samantha J. Cushen
Guest Editor

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Keywords

  • cancer survivorship
  • nutrition
  • body composition
  • sarcopenia

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Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

11 pages, 1525 KiB  
Article
Psoas Muscle Index as an Independent Predictor of Survival in Patients with Hepatocellular Carcinoma Receiving Systemic Targeted Therapy
by Kenji Imai, Koji Takai, Masashi Aiba, Shinji Unome, Takao Miwa, Tatsunori Hanai, Hiroyasu Sakai, Yohei Shirakami, Atsushi Suetsugu and Masahito Shimizu
Cancers 2025, 17(2), 209; https://doi.org/10.3390/cancers17020209 - 10 Jan 2025
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 768
Abstract
Background: This study aimed to investigate the usefulness of the psoas muscle index (PMI) as an independent predictor of survival after systemic targeted therapy initiation in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Method: In total, 214 patients with HCC who underwent systemic targeted therapy [...] Read more.
Background: This study aimed to investigate the usefulness of the psoas muscle index (PMI) as an independent predictor of survival after systemic targeted therapy initiation in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Method: In total, 214 patients with HCC who underwent systemic targeted therapy at the Gifu University Hospital were enrolled. The correlation between the PMI and the skeletal muscle index (SMI) was assessed using Pearson’s correlation coefficient (PCC). The Cox proportional hazards model was employed to determine whether the PMI, along with the α-fetoprotein (AFP) level and the ALBI score, influenced survival; these variables were considered time-dependent covariates. The optimal PMI cut-off value that yielded the most significant differences in survival was determined using maximally selected statistics. Results: The PMI was significantly correlated with the SMI (PCC = 0.38 and p < 0.001 for women; PCC = 0.62 and p < 0.001 for men). The PMI independently influenced survival (hazard ratio: 0.852; 95% confidence interval: 0.755–0.962; and p < 0.001), along with established prognostic factors such as the AFP and the ALBI score. The optimal PMI cut-off values that yielded the most significant differences in survival were 2.86 cm2/m2 for women and 3.55 cm2/m2 for men, and these values significantly stratified patient outcomes for both sexes (p < 0.001). Conclusions: The PMI serves as a reliable surrogate for the SMI in assessing skeletal muscle mass and predicting survival. Full article
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11 pages, 864 KiB  
Article
The Added Value of Controlling Nutritional Status (Conut) Score for Preoperative Counselling on Significant Early Loss of Renal Function After Radical Nephrectomy for Renal Cell Carcinoma
by Matteo Boltri, Fabio Traunero, Luca Ongaro, Francesca Migliozzi, Fabio Vianello, Oliviero Lenardon, Francesco Visalli, Lorenzo Buttazzi, Daniele Maruzzi, Carlo Trombetta, Alchiede Simonato, Nicola Pavan and Francesco Claps
Cancers 2024, 16(20), 3519; https://doi.org/10.3390/cancers16203519 - 17 Oct 2024
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1149
Abstract
Background and Objectives: We aimed at evaluating the impact of Controlling Nutritional Status (CONUT) score on clinically significant decline in estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) in patients with non-metastatic Clear Cell Renal Cell Carcinoma (ccRCC) undergoing radical nephrectomy (RN). Materials and methods: We [...] Read more.
Background and Objectives: We aimed at evaluating the impact of Controlling Nutritional Status (CONUT) score on clinically significant decline in estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) in patients with non-metastatic Clear Cell Renal Cell Carcinoma (ccRCC) undergoing radical nephrectomy (RN). Materials and methods: We retrospectively analyzed a multi-institutional cohort of 140 patients with ccRCC who underwent RN between 2016 and 2018 at three Urological Centers. The CONUT score was calculated with an algorithm including serum albumin, total lymphocyte count, and cholesterol. Clinical and pathologic features were analyzed using Fisher’s exact test for categorical variables and a Mann–Whitney U test for continuous variables. To define the independent predictors of clinically significant eGFR decline, univariable (UVA) and multivariable (MVA) binomial logistic regression analyses were performed in order to assess the Odds Ratio (OR) with 95% Confidence Intervals (CIs). Results: The optimal cut-off value to discriminate between a low and high CONUT score was assessed by calculating the ROC curve. The area under the curve (AUC) was 0.67 (95%CI 0.59–0.78) with the most appropriate cut-off value at 2 points. Overall, 46 patients (32.9%) had a high CONUT score (>2). Statistically significant variables associated with eGFR decline at 24 months were age ≥ 70 (OR 2.01; 95%CI 1.17–3.09; p 0.05), stage II–III chronic kidney disease (CKD) (OR 6.05; 95%CI 1.79–28.3; p 0.001), and a high CONUT score (OR 3.98; 95%CI 1.58–10.4; p 0.004). Conclusions: The CONUT score is a low-time-consuming, cost-effective, and promising tool able to preoperatively screen patients at risk of developing CKD after a RN. Full article
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13 pages, 828 KiB  
Article
Impairment of Nutritional Status and Quality of Life Following Minimal-Invasive Esophagectomy—A Prospective Cohort Analysis
by Grace Oberhoff, Lena Schooren, Florian Vondran, Andreas Kroh, Alexander Koch, Jan Bednarsch, Ulf P. Neumann, Sophia M. Schmitz and Patrick H. Alizai
Cancers 2024, 16(2), 266; https://doi.org/10.3390/cancers16020266 - 8 Jan 2024
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 1972
Abstract
Minimal-invasive resection of the esophagus for esophageal cancer has led to a relevant decrease in postoperative morbidity. Postoperatively, patients still suffer from surgical and adjuvant therapy-related symptoms impairing nutrition and quality of life. The aim of this study was to evaluate the nutritional [...] Read more.
Minimal-invasive resection of the esophagus for esophageal cancer has led to a relevant decrease in postoperative morbidity. Postoperatively, patients still suffer from surgical and adjuvant therapy-related symptoms impairing nutrition and quality of life. The aim of this study was to evaluate the nutritional status and associated symptoms six months after esophagectomy. Patients who attended follow-up examination six months after minimal-invasive esophagectomy were included. Blood and fecal tests, quality of life surveys (QLQ-C30 and QLQ-OG25) and nutritional risk screening (NRS) were performed. Twenty-four patients participated. The mean weight loss was 11 kg. A significant decrease in vitamin B12 (737 to 467 pg/mL; p = 0.033), ferritin (302 to 126 ng/mL; p = 0.012) and haptoglobin (227 to 152 mg/dL; p = 0.025) was found. In total, 47% of the patients had an impaired pancreatic function (fecal elastase < 500 µg/g). Physical (72 to 58; p = 0.034) and social functioning (67 to 40; p = 0.022) was significantly diminished, while self-reported global health status remained stable (52 to 54). The number of patients screened and found to be in need of nutritional support according to NRS score decreased slightly (59% to 52%). After MIE, patients should be meticulously monitored for nutritional status after surgery. Full article
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