Tag: BMI

Categories : Cancer Metabolic DisordersTags :

The Outcomes of Cancer Therapies and BMI Have a Complex Relationship

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Risk of mortality during cancer treatment in relation to BMI. For non-small cell lung cancer treatment, immunotherapy seems to pose less risk for persons under a certain BMI, while conventional chemotherapy appears optimal for persons who might be overweight or obese. Credit: Osaka Metropolitan University

While being overweight increases the risk of developing lifestyle-related diseases, there is a phenomenon known as the obesity paradox where a decreased risk of death has been seen during cancer therapy. However, that paradox might not hold true for all cancer therapies, an Osaka Metropolitan University team reports in JAMA Network Open, a publication of the American Medical Association.

Led by graduate student Mr Yasutaka Ihara and Professor Ayumi Shintani of the Graduate School of Medicine’s Department of Medical Statistics, the team used a Japanese administrative claims database of more than 500 000 lung cancer patients and examined the relation between body mass index (BMI) and the risk of mortality during immunotherapy and conventional chemotherapy.

Focusing only on patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer, the team found that the higher the BMI, the lower the risk of mortality when undergoing both immunotherapy and chemotherapy, though it does a U-turn around a BMI of 24. Patients with a BMI under 28 showed lower risk of mortality when undergoing immunotherapy compared to conventional chemotherapy, but for those at or over that figure, the risk increases with immunotherapy while it continues to get lower with chemotherapy.

“Immunotherapy might not always be the optimal treatment method for obese patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer, so the use of conventional chemotherapy should also be considered,” Mr. Ihara stated. “In addition to BMI, age, hormones, and gut microbiota have been reported as factors that influence the effectiveness of immunotherapy. Evaluation of whether immunotherapy or conventional chemotherapy improves survival in the presence of these factors is expected to contribute to the development of precision medicine.”

Source: Osaka Metropolitan University

Categories : Ageing Pain ManagementTags :

Body Mass Index Impacts Pain in People with Hand Osteoarthritis

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Source: Pixabay CC0

In a study published in Arthritis & Rheumatology, people with hand osteoarthritis, higher body mass index was associated with greater pain severity in the hands, feet, knees, and hips.

Osteoarthritis is one of the most debilitating joint disorders worldwide, affecting up to 10% of men and 13% of women.  Osteoarthritis is characterised by a progressive onset of joint damage, commonly associated with pain. Joints commonly affected include the knee, hip and hand. Various stressors, risk factors and genetics may predispose an individual to developing osteoarthritis in a particular joint.

In a study of 281 patients, researchers noted that observed associations of body mass index with hand pain and total body joint pain seemed to involve certain inflammatory markers (leptin and high-sensitivity C-reactive protein, respectively).  

The researchers suggest that systemic effects of obesity, measured by leptin, could have a larger mediating role for pain in hands than in lower extremities. Low-grade inflammation, measured by hs-CRP, may contribute to generalised pain in overweight or obese individuals.

“Our results highlight the complexity of pain in hand osteoarthritis. Obesity is not only leading to pain through increased loading of joints in the lower extremities, but seems to have systemic effects leading to pain in the hands and overall body,” said lead author Marthe Gløersen, MD, of Diakonhjemmet Hospital, in Norway.

Source: Wiley