Association of Body Composition and Handgrip Strength with Interleukin-6 (IL-6) and Vitamin D Level in Cancer Patients

Figures & data

Table 1 Patients’ Characteristics

Characteristics	All Individuals	No Cachexia	Cachexia	P
	n = 150	n = 64	n = 86
Females, n (%)	96 (64.0)	45 (70.3)	51 (59.3)	0.165
Age (years), median (Q1–Q3)	52 (43–61)	52 (45–59.5)	50 (41–61)	0.765
Type of cancer, n (%)
Nasopharynx	30 (20.0)	9 (14.1)	21 (24.4)	0.286
Lung	30 (20.0)	10 (15.6)	20 (23.3)
Breast	30 (20.0)	15 (23.4)	15 (17.4)
Cervix	30 (20.0)	15 (23.4)	15 (17.4)
Non-Hodgkin lymphoma	30 (20.0)	15 (23.4)	15 (17.4)
Comorbidities, n (%)
Type 2 diabetes	16 (10.7)	6 (9.4)	10 (11.6)	0.658
Hypertension	28 (18.7)	14 (21.9)	14 (16.3)	0.384
Dyslipidemia	22 (14.7)	13 (20.3)	9 (10.5)	0.092
Others	5 (3.3)	3 (4.7)	2 (2.3)	0.425

Note: P values were calculated using chi-square or Mann–Whitney U-test, where appropriate.

Table 2 Association of Body Composition and Handgrip Strength with Cachexia

	Median (Q1–Q3)			P
	All Individuals	No Cachexia	Cachexia
Body mass index (kg/m2)	23.5 (21.0–26.4)	26.0 (23.4–29.0)	21.9 (19.8–24.6)	<0.001
Underweight, n (%)	12 (8.0)	1 (1.6)	11 (12.8)
Normal weight, n (%)	83 (55.3)	26 (40.6)	57 (66.3)
Overweight, n (%)	40 (26.7)	24 (37.5)	16 (18.6)
Obesity, n (%)	15 (10.0)	13 (20.3)	2 (2.33)
Waist circumference (cm),	83 (74.5–90)	88 (80–94)	79.5 (72–88)	0.001
Fat mass index (kg/m2)	8.1 (5.5–10.6)	10.0 (7.9–12.4)	7.0 (4.8–8.9)	<0.001
Skeletal muscle mass (kg)	15.0 (12.5–19.1)	15.3 (12.7–18.5)	14.7 (12.4–19.7)	0.473
Visceral adipose tissue (liter)	2.1 (1.6–2.6)	2.3 (1.9–2.9)	1.8 (1.4–2.3)	0.0001
Handgrip strength (kg)	22.1 (17.8–28.4)	21.6 (17.1–28.2)	22.2 (18.2–29.1)	0.675

Note: P values were calculated using Mann–Whitney U-test.

Figure 1 (A) Difference in IL-6 levels in patients with cachexia vs without cachexia; (B) difference in vitamin D levels in patients with cachexia vs without cachexia.

Table 3 Correlation of IL-6 and Vitamin D Levels with Body Weight, BMI, Fat Mass Index, Muscle Mass, Visceral Fat, and Handgrip Strength

	IL-6 (pg/mL)		Vitamin D (ng/mL)
	r	P	r	P
Body weight (kg)	−0.06	0.429	0.11	0.165
Body mass index (kg/m2)	−0.08	0.328	−0.07	0.409
Fat mass index (kg/m2)	−0.10	0.229	−0.2	0.014
Skeletal muscle mass (kg)	−0.06	0.483	0.32	0.001
Visceral adipose tissue (l)	−0.009	0.913	0.21	0.01
Handgrip strength (kg)	−0.12	0.147	0.34	<0.001

Note: All correlation coefficients (r) were calculated using Spearman correlation.