Impact of Weight Loss During Chemotherapy in Chinese Patients with Unresectable Pancreatic Cancer

Abstract

Background: Weight loss is frequently observed in pancreatic cancer patients. We aimed to study the prognostic impacts of weight loss early during chemotherapy.Methods: A total of 72 patients of Chinese ethnicity with unresectable pancreatic cancer who underwent chemotherapy were reviewed. Critical weight loss (CWL) was defined as weight loss ≥ 5% within one month after treatment. The prognostic impact of weight loss and CWL were analyzed.Results: 47 patients (65.3%) had weight loss after one month of treatment, with 14 (19.4%) suffering from CWL. Baseline characteristics were similar between patients with and without CWL. The median OS and Time-to-treatment-failure (TTF) of patients with CWL were shorter than those without CWL (OS: 4.8 months [CWL] versus [vs.] OS 7.1 months [No CWL]; TTF 1.6 months [CWL] vs. 3.2 months [No CWL]; both P < 0.01). CWL was an independent adverse prognosticator for OS (Hazard Ratio [HR] = 2.50; P = 0.01) and TTF (HR = 2.71; P < 0.01). Other independent prognosticators for OS were serum albumin <35 mg/dl and CA19-9 ≥ 1000 IU/ml, while CWL was the only independent prognosticator for TTF (HR 2.71 [95% CI 1.33–5.52]; P < 0.01).Conclusions: Development of CWL in early course of chemotherapy was associated with worse prognosis in Chinese patients with unresectable pancreatic cancers.