Testing handgrip strength can help predict the survival chances of patients with non-small cell lung cancer, a conference will hear this weekend.
It is one of the research projects to be reported to the conference of the European Society for Radiotherapy & Oncology (ESTRO) in Barcelona, Spain.
Dutch researchers say that handgrip strength is an independent indicator of life expectancy for these patients.
They found that those with a weak grip were one and a half times more likely to die within five years than those with a strong grip.
The findings come from a study of 226 patients about to be treated with stereotactic body radiotherapy in Maastricht, the Netherlands.
Just 12% of those with weak handgrips survived for five years compared with 40% of those without weakness.
Radiation oncologist Dr Stéphanie Peeters said: “We have found that handgrip strength is an objective, cheap and easy way to measure short- and long-term overall survival in stage I patients with non-small cell lung cancer who are being treated with stereotactic body radiotherapy with the aim of curing them.
“The WHO performance status measurement is quantified by a physician, and therefore may be prone to subjectivity. The handgrip test, on the other hand, is a more objective measure that may provide additional information on the general condition of a patient.
“Our analysis shows that handgrip strength is a valuable additional measure for predicting overall survival.”
ESTRO president Professor Yolande Lievens said: “In order to give patients the best quality of life while also treating their cancer as effectively as possible, doctors have to weigh the pros and cons of the treatments; in other words, the potential survival gain against the potential adverse effect on quality of life.
“This interesting study shows that a simple handgrip test provides doctors with an objective, cheap and easy way to assess their patients’ overall health, which will help them in deciding on the best way of managing the cancer.”
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