Standardized phase angle from bioelectrical impedance analysis as prognostic factor for survival in patients with cancer.

Purpose: Phase angle (PA), determined by bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA), has been considered as a prognostic factor in several clinical conditions. The purpose of this study is to investigate PA, after adjusting for sex and age (standardized phase angle; SPA) as a prognostic factor for survival in cancer patients.

Methods: A prospective study was conducted in 195 patients before the first chemotherapy course. BIA was performed in all patients and SPA was calculated. The Kaplan-Meier method was used to calculate survival. The Cox regression method was used to evaluate the independent prognostic effect of PA after adjustment for other variables.

Results: Patients with SPA < -1.65 had a smaller survival rate than those with SPA ≥ -1.65 (p < 0.001). Using Cox regression, the mortality rate was higher in patients with SPA < -1.65 (RR 3.12 CI: 2.03-4.79; p < 0.001). After multivariate analysis, patients with PA < -1.65 still presented a higher mortality rate (RR 2.35 CI: 1.41-3.90; p = 0.001).

Conclusions: The present study demonstrates that PA, used as SPA, is an independent prognostic indicator in this group of cancer patients receiving chemotherapy treatment even after adjustment for other prognostic variables.