Comparison between selected anthropometric indices of patients with cancer and age matched apparently healthy individual

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to compare selected anthropometric indices between patients with cancer and age matched apparently healthy individual. Subjects were recently diagnosed prostate and breast cancer patients receiving treatment at the Surgical Outpatient Department of Obafemi Awolowo University Teaching Hospitals Complex (OAUTHC), Ile-Ife, Nigeria and their age matched apparently healthy individuals from the same vicinity. The weight, height, waist circumference (WC), hip circumference (HC) and wrist circumference were measured for the 2 groups. Body mass index (BMI), waist to hip ratio (WHR) and frame size (FRS) were calculated. Descriptive and inferential statistics were used to organize the result. The result revealed that there was a significant increase in WC (t = 2.95, p < 0.001), WHR (t = 4.80, p<0.001), FRS (t = -4.53, p<0.001) and BMI t = 2.21, p<0.05 of subjects with prostate cancer than the control group. There was a significant increase in WC (t = 2.52, p<0.05) and HC (t = 2.30, p<0.05) of subjects with breast cancer when compared with that of the control group. It can be concluded from the study that increase in any of BMI, WHR, WC, hip circumference and frame size might be a predisposing factor for prostate cancer while increase in waist circumference or hip circumference may predispose an individual to breast cancer.

Key words:

prostate cancer, breast cancer, waist circumference, hip circumference, frames size

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