Weight Changes in Women Receiving Chemotherapy for Non-Metastatic Breast Cancer in Saudi Arabia

Background Women with breast cancer (BC) commonly experience weight gain during chemotherapy, although there is conflicting evidence regarding the contributing factors. This study aimed to evaluate body weight changes among women undergoing chemotherapy for non-metastatic BC during the first year after diagnosis, and to determine whether baseline body weight and/or hemoglobin concentration values were associated with weight changes during chemotherapy. Methods This retrospective study evaluated patients who were treated at the King Abdulaziz University Hospital (Saudi Arabia) during 2010-2019. A total of 228 women were included based on the following criteria: new diagnosed BC, age of 18-80 years, non-metastatic disease, and initial chemotherapy treatment for BC. The patients’ baseline characteristics, including body weight during the first chemotherapy cycle, were collected from their electronic medical records. Each patient’s weight was then followed at each hospital visit until the last chemotherapy cycle. In addition, data were collected regarding tumor status, menopausal status, chemotherapy regimen, hemoglobin concentration, recurrence status, and death. Results The mean patient age was 53.37±10.9 years and 55.7% of the patients were pre-menopausal. The vast majority of patients underwent surgery (96.9%) and most patients received adjuvant chemotherapy (63.6%) or adjuvant radiotherapy (68.9%). The mean number of chemotherapy cycles was 6.29±1.74 (taxane-based: 1.67±1.36 cycles, anthracycline-based: 2.61±1.81 cycles). At the end of chemotherapy, the body weight changes were classified as increased (41.7% of patients, mean increase: 3.39 kg), decreased (35.5% of patients, mean decrease: -4.12 kg), or stable (22.8%). Factors that predicted weight gain after chemotherapy included younger age at diagnosis (p<0.029), pre-menopausal status (p<0.003), and a high number of taxane-based chemotherapy cycles (p<0.029). Conclusions Chemotherapy for BC did not lead to significant changes in body weight among women in Saudi Arabia. Weight gain in this setting was significantly associated with younger age, pre-menopausal status, and a high number of taxane-based chemotherapy cycles.