A recent study conducted by Severance Hospital showed improved survival in colorectal cancer patients with increased muscle mass without BMI loss compared to those with steady muscle mass and BMI.

Lifestyle habits such as diet and exercise have a great influence on the prognosis of cancer treatment. For example, BMI and skeletal muscle are essential prognostic factors for survival in colorectal cancer.

Accordingly, the research team analyzed how changes in BMI and skeletal muscle in the first, third, and sixth years of colon cancer diagnosis affect the prognosis of 4,056 colorectal cancer patients treated from 2010 to 2020.

For each prognostic factor, the groups were divided into decreasing, maintaining, and increasing levels based on the changes observed. The skeletal muscle volume index (SMVI) was measured using the muscle volume near the third lumbar spine on the abdominal CT.

As a result, the relative risk of death was 32 percent lower in the group in which both BMI and SMVI increased. On the other hand, the group in which both obesity and muscle mass decreased had a 73 percent higher relative risk of death compared to the reference value.

In particular, even in the group with increased SMVI and reduced BMI, the relative risk of death was 43 percent higher compared to the reference value. In addition, the relative risk of death was 9 percent higher in the group with decreased muscle mass and increased obesity.

"This study confirmed that it is more important for colorectal cancer patients to gain weight than lose it, Professor Ahn Joong-bae said. “It also suggests that life expectancy can be extended by maintaining healthy lifestyles so that they do not lose muscle mass, alongside chemotherapy.”

The study was published in the international journal, JMIR Public Health and Surveillance.