PD756 - ASSOCIATION BETWEEN HANDGRIP STRENGTH AND NUTRITIONAL STATUS IN CHILDREN AND ADOLESCENTS WITH CANCER

PD756

ASSOCIATION BETWEEN HANDGRIP STRENGTH AND NUTRITIONAL STATUS IN CHILDREN AND ADOLESCENTS WITH CANCER

E. B. Brinate¹, W. Afonso², R. Tiberio¹, G. N. Dias¹, R. Albuquerque¹, F. Ued³, P. Padilha^1,*

¹UFRJ, ²INCA, Rio de Jandeiro, ³USP-Ribeirão Preto, São Paulo, Brazil

Rationale: In children with acute lymphoblastic leukemia, systemic inflammation and antineoplastic therapy promote metabolic alterations that accelerate muscle catabolism and impair functional capacity. The study's aim was to verify the association between handgrip strength and nutritional status in children with cancer.

Methods: This cross-sectional study included children and adolescents with acute lymphoblastic leukemia treated at three referral centers in Brazil. Nutritional status was assessed using body mass index for age, mid-upper arm circumference, tricipital skinfold, arm muscle circumference, and arm muscle area. Handgrip strength was measured using a hydraulic dynamometer and categorized into tertiles, with the lowest tertile defining reduced muscle strength. Associations were evaluated using Spearman correlation and multivariable logistic regression adjusted for age and body mass index.

Results: A total of 44 patients were included, with a median age of 10.1 years and balanced sex distribution. Excess weight was observed in 54.5% of participants. Lower anthropometric and body composition parameters were significantly associated with reduced handgrip strength. Strong positive correlations were observed between handgrip strength and mid-upper arm circumference (r=0.703), arm muscle circumference (r=0.814), and arm muscle area (r=0.815). In multivariable analysis, lower arm muscle area was independently associated with higher odds of reduced handgrip strength (OR 0.82; 95% CI 0.71–0.94; p=0.004).

Conclusion: Reduced handgrip strength is strongly associated with impaired nutritional status and decreased muscle reserves in children with cancer. Functional assessment using handgrip strength adds clinically relevant information beyond traditional anthropometry and may improve early identification of patients at nutritional risk, supporting more targeted and timely interventions in pediatric oncology.

Disclosure of Interest: None declared