Percent Body Fat Change in Chinese Women After Adjuvant Chemotherapy for Breast Cancer

Background: Weight gain is a common side effect observed in breast cancer (BC) patients undergoing adjuvant chemotherapy, although the characteristics and mechanism are not been fully understood. This study aimed to investigate percent body fat (%BF) change, and identify the associated risk factors among Chinese women receiving chemotherapy for BC. Material/Methods: A prospective longitudinal study was conducted on a cohort of 140 Chinese female patients with BC between June 2016 and October 2017. Data on demographic and clinical features were collected using a standard protocol. Anthropometric parameters including body weight and %BF were measured before and after chemotherapy. Multiple logistic analysis was performed to identify the risk factors for %BF change. Results: A total of 52.9% and 58.6% of the 140 patients experienced gains in weight and %BF after chemotherapy, re- spectively, with mean increases of 2.1 +/- 1.9 kg and 1.3 +/- 2.2%, respectively. Fifty-eight patients gained %BF over 2.5% of the baseline value. Moreover, premenopausal women had a greater mean %BF gain than postmenopausal women (P=0.018). Logistic analysis showed that premenopausal status, younger age, multi-agent chemotherapy regimen, high-calorie diet, and decreased physical activity were independent variables that inducted %BF gain. Conclusions: %BF gain occurred frequently in Chinese women after adjuvant chemotherapy for BC, especially in premeno-pausal women. An effort should be made to the management of %BF.