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Kim and Jun: Body Fat Percentage and Natural Killer Cell Activity of Breast and Rectal Cancer Patients after Diagnosis but before Treatment
Original Article
Journal of Korean Academy of Nursing

Journal of Korean Academy of Nursing 2008; 38(2): 321-331.

Published online: 30 April 2008

DOI: https://doi.org/10.4040/jkan.2008.38.2.321

Body Fat Percentage and Natural Killer Cell Activity of Breast and Rectal Cancer Patients after Diagnosis but before Treatment

Dal Sook Kim, 1, Myung Hee Jun, 2

1Professor, Department of Nursing, Chungnam National University, Daejeon, Korea.

2Professor, Department of Nursing, Daejeon University, Daejeon, Korea.

Address reprint requests to: Kim, Dal Sook. Department of Nursing, Chungnam National University, 6 Munhwa-dong, Jung-gu, Daejeon 301-747, Korea. Tel: 82-42-580-8327, Fax: 82-42-584-8915, dskim@cnu.ac.kr

Received 20 November 2008       Accepted 3 April 2008

Copyright © 2008 Korean Society of Nursing Science

Abstract

Purpose

To examine the relationship between body fat percentage (BFP) and N-K cell activity (NKCA) in Korean breast and rectal cancer patients just after diagnosis.

Methods

With 35 subjects enrolled between November 2002 and May 2003, Bioelectrical Impedance Analysis was used to estimate BFP. FACS Analysis was used to measure N-K cell activity. The relationships between BFP and NKCA were identified by using curve estimation, simple regression, and multiple regression.

Results

The mean BFPs of the subjects and all the sub-groups were higher than acceptable BFPs. Both the mean NKCAs of male and female subjects were lower than that of healthy women. NKCA was explained by BFP with a 14.9% variance in the total subjects (p<.05). There were significant negative relationships between BFP and NKCA after controlling age, type of cancer, and stage of cancer while no significant relationship was found after controlling for gender. The relationships between BFP and NKCA in the sub-groups of female, breast cancer, and stage I, and II were significant. The relationships between male, rectal cancer, and the stage III, and VI sub-groups were not identified, but they revealed a mild to moderate steep in curve estimation.

Conclusion

Weight reduction could prevent the risk and advancement of breast and rectal cancer in Koreans.

Keywords: Body fat, Natural killer cell, Breast cancer, Rectal cancer, Weight reduction

Figures and Tables

Figure 1
Viewing the relationship between body fat (%) and N-K cell activity (% gated) with linear and power curve on curve estimation (N=35).
jkan-38-321-g001
Table 1
Descriptions of Natural Killer Cell Activity and Body Fat Percentage
jkan-38-321-i001

*comprising 8 stage III, IV rectal cancer patients; †comprising 17 stage I, II breast cancer patients, 2 stage III, IV breast cancer patients, 5 stage I, II rectal cancer patients, and 3 stage III, IV recral cancer patients.

Table 2
Relationships between Total Body Fat (%) and N-K Cell Activity (% gated) in Linear Regression Models
jkan-38-321-i002

*for the total subjects (N=35); †for the female subjects (N=27); ‡for the breast cancer patients (N=19); §for the subjects at the stage I, II (N=22).

Table 3
Relationships between Body Fat (%) and N-K Cell Activity (% gated) in Age, Gender, Type of Cancer, and the Stage at Diagnosis Controlled (N=35)
jkan-38-321-i003

Notes

This work was supported by grant No R04-2002-000-00077-0 from the Basic Research Program of the Korea Science & Engineering Foundation.

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