Relative handgrip strength is associated with nutritional status and quality of life in women with overweight and obesity diagnosed with breast cancer undergoing surgery: a cross-sectional study in Brazil

Background: Handgrip strength (HGS) is a low-cost and efficient tool for risk stratification of patients diagnosed with chronic diseases. This cross-sectional observational study investigated associations between absolute and relative HGS (AHGS and RHGS, respectively) and physical performance and quality of life (QoL) in women with overweight and obesity diagnosed with breast cancer, who were admitted to hospital for surgical treatment of cancer. Methods: AHGS, RHGS (AHGS/weight), body mass index (BMI), waist circumference (WC), muscle mass, gait speed, and Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy (FACT) Breast QoL, were assessed in 97 participants. Results: Women with low RHGS exhibited higher BMI (r=-0.42, P<0.001) and WC (r=-0.48, P<0.001). RHGS was positively correlated with QoL (r=0.36, P<0.001). Higher QoL scores (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.001-0.003) and physical performance (95% CI, 0.034-0.163) were associated with higher RHGS values. Positive correlations were found for RHGS, and not for AHGS, including the FACT emotional well-being (r=0.21, P=0.035) and breast cancer (r=0.32, P=0.001) subscales. Conclusion: RHGS was more strongly associated with nutritional characteristics, physical performance, and QoL than AHGS in a sample population of women with overweight and obesity diagnosed with breast cancer before surgery. RHGS has the potential to reveal a more accurate overall health status. Further research involving diverse age and population groups and clinical settings to explore causality and, potentially, confirm the utility of relative HGS as an early screening tool for dynapenia and guiding nutritional interventions to improve QoL during and after antineoplastic treatment, is warranted.