Change in Body Weight During Treatment of Advanced Colorectal Cancer
Change in Body Weight During Treatment of Advanced Colorectal Cancer
Colorectal cancer (CRC) is a significant and growing health burden in Hong Kong. According to
 data from Hong Kong Cancer Registry, CRC ranked the first in incidence and the second in
 mortality, with around 5,000 new cases diagnosed and more than 2,000 cancer-related mortality
 in 2014. The investigators aim to evaluate the association between serial weight change
 during first line treatment and outcomes in patients with metastatic CRC.
Studies have suggested that exposure to a greater number of chemotherapeutic agents is
 associated with better survival in metastatic colorectal cancer.

 Multiple factors might affect body weight during treatment. Cancer-related symptoms can
 impair quality of life and appetite. Cachexia syndrome affects around 50% of colon cancer
 patients and is characterized by cancer-induced catabolism with involuntary weight loss (fat
 and muscle), patients have increased lipolysis and change in skeletal muscle metabolism,
 including increased energy expenditure at rest and protein degradation, and decreased protein
 synthesis. Besides these disease factors, treatment related side effects are common causes of
 weight loss, such as inability to ingest or digest food effectively due to nausea, vomiting,
 and malaise. Based on these factors and the hypotheses between tumour control and weight
 gain, monitoring the serial weight change can have practical value.
Inclusion Criteria:

 -  Histologically proven adenocarcinoma of colorectal origin

 -  Stage IV disease with systemic treatment

 -  Estimated life expectancy >3 months

 -  Adequate organ functions

 Exclusion Criteria:

 -  Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status 3 or above

 -  Pregnancy

 -  Human immunodeficiency virus infection and acquired immune deficiency syndrome
 (HIV/AIDS)

 -  Past medical history of another cancer