Body composition across cancer stages: preliminary data between sexes from clinical patients with cancer

Cancer-induced cachexia (CC) is currently defined as an ongoing loss of muscle mass that may be accompanied by a loss in fat mass. CC is a critical co-morbidity associated with many cancers that leads to intolerance to anti-cancer therapies, poor quality of life and loss of functional independence, and directly contributes to 20-40% of cancer-related deaths, depending on cancer type. Preclinical evidence suggests females exhibit a loss in fat mass prior to losses in muscle mass, evidence which is gaining acceptance in clinical consideration but is largely untested in human cancer patients. To better understand changes in body composition during cancer, as well as functional alterations in cancer, we have developed a novel clinical partnership incorporating body composition and functional assessments into the clinical workflow. Herein, we provide a preliminary assessment of body composition variables between sexes in a clinical population with cancer. We hypothesized female patients would display lower fat mass prior to any noted losses in muscle mass. METHODS: We offer body composition and functional assessments open to all cancer patients at a major oncology clinic in our region. Patients are recruited, consented, and subsequently complete a body composition assessment using an InBody 770 research grade bioelectrical impedance device. As of this report, we have 55 unique patients for whom both body composition and electronic medical records (EMR) data are fully available. From these, 24 females and 13 males have body composition and sufficient canonical cancer stage data to assess. EMR data are used to align cancer diagnoses and stage to patient body composition. For this report, patients were grouped by sex and cancer stage (Stage I compared to Stages II-IV due to low sample number), dependent variables included Body Mass Index (BMI), % body fat, Fat Mass Index (FMI) and Muscle Mass Index (MMI). All data were analyzed by t-test within each sex with alpha of 0.05. RESULTS: In females, lower BMI in Stages II-IV compared to Stage I approached significance (27.1 v 30.8, p= 0.055). However, % body fat and FMI were significantly lower in female patients of Stages II-IV compared to Stage I (% body fat: 38.3% v 45.8% p= 0.026; FMI: 11.2 v 15.4 p=0 .035). There were no significant differences in MMI between females with Stage I v Stages II-IV cancer. In males, no body composition variables demonstrated statistical significance in the current data set. CONCLUSIONS: These preliminary data appear to support loss of fat mass in female cancer patients preceding a loss of muscle mass. Current data are very preliminary and are collapsed across all cancer types seen in our clinic. Subsequent analyses will further disaggregate data for cancer type and across a broader assessment of cancer stages as additional data allows. This abstract was presented at the American Physiology Summit 2026 and is only available in HTML format. There is no downloadable file or PDF version. The Physiology editorial board was not involved in the peer review process.