The effect of body muscle ratio and extremity musclestrength on HEALTH-related quality of life in breastcancer patients

Aim: To investigate the relationship between body muscle ratio and extremity muscle strength on health-related quality of life in breast cancer patients. Material and Methods: Between March 2023 and April 2023, 62 patients diagnosed with breast cancer followed up in Manisa Celal Bayar University, Medical Faculty Hospital, Medical Oncology Department were included in the study. Upper extremity muscle strength measurement was done with hydraulic hand dynamometer, lower extremity muscle strength measurement was done with chair stand test, body muscle ratio measurement was made with bioelectrical impedance analysis device, and health-related quality of life questioning was done with EORTC-QLQ-C30 scale. Results: The mean age of the patients was 53.19 (±10.43), the mean Body Mass Index (BMI) was 28.78 kg/m² (±4.85), the mean muscle mass was 44.41 kg (±6.64), the mean muscle percentage was found 61.07% (±6.23). The mean time for patients to complete the chair stand test was 12.40 seconds (±3.45), and the mean dynamometer hand grip strength value was found 50.7118 pounds (± 12.95779) It was found that the social function scores of the patients who completed the chair stand test in a normal-fast time were significantly higher than the others (p<0.05). Fatigue and pain scores were significantly higher in patients who completed the test in slower time compared to other patients (p<0.05). The role function and cognitive function scores of the patients with normal-high hydraulic dynamometer hand grip strength were significantly higher than the other patients (p<0.05). Also, it was found that the patients with lower hand grip strength had a significantly higher appetite loss score (p<0.05). There was a high level of positive correlation (p<0.001) between BMI and Fat-Free Mass Index (FFMI), and full correlation (p<0.001) between FFMI and Skeletal Muscle Mass Index (SMMI). There was a moderate positive correlation (p<0.05) between FFMI and chair stand test, and a moderate negative correlation (p<0.001) between chair stand test and hand grip strength test. Conclusion: Our study determined that breast cancer patients with good limb muscle strength experienced fewer symptoms and had a better quality of life. Key Words: Breast cancer, quality of life, muscle strength