Background
Cancer survivors experience decreased physical function and reduced muscle strength, which leads to lower quality of life (QOL). The hand grip strength (HGS) can be a predictor of poor health-related QOL as a parameter of sarcopenia. The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between low HGS and QOL in cancer survivors and healthy controls.
Methods
We analyzed 392 cancer survivors and 1,176 healthy controls from the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, 2014–2017. We defined low HGS as 2 standard deviation values for healthy young Korean adults from a previous study. QOL was evaluated using the European Quality of Life Scale-Five Dimensions. A complex sample logistic regression model was used to assess the relationship between each dimension of low HGS and QOL.
Results
The odds ratios (ORs) for decreased QOL were significantly higher in male cancer survivors with low HGS on self-care (OR, 8.51; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.69–42.83) and usual activities (OR, 6.63; 95% CI, 1.22–36.03). The ORs for problems in mobility (OR, 5.87; 95% CI, 2.04–16.91), usual activities (OR, 14.46; 95% CI, 3.84–54.44), pain/discomfort (OR, 4.90; 95% CI, 2.00–12.01), and anxiety/depression (OR, 6.43; 95% CI, 2.16–19.12) were significantly high in female cancer survivors with low HGS. However, healthy controls showed no significant relationship between low HGS and QOL.
Conclusion
For cancer survivors, low HGS was associated with poor QOL in some domains. Strategies to increase muscle strength must be considered to improve the QOL of cancer survivors.

Citations

• Four-Year Associations Between Cancer Trajectories, Depression and Grip Strength in European Older Adults
  Marcelo de Maio Nascimento, Andreas Ihle, Gerson Ferrari, Élvio R. Gouveia, Miguel Peralta, Adilson Marques
  Journal of Applied Gerontology.2026;[Epub]     CrossRef
• Four-year associations of cancer trajectories with changes in depression and grip strength among middle-aged and older adult Europeans
  Marcelo de Maio Nascimento, Andreas Ihle, Gerson Ferrari, Élvio R. Gouveia, Miguel Peralta, Adilson Marques
  Archives of Gerontology and Geriatrics.2026; 149: 106295.     CrossRef
• Association between handgrip strength, handgrip strength asymmetry, and anxiety in Korean older adults: The Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2022
  Sang-Youn Choi, Su-Min Park, Eun-Cheol Park, Marina De Rui
  PLOS ONE.2025; 20(4): e0315256.     CrossRef
• Nonregular Physical Activity and Handgrip Strength as Indicators of Fatigue and Psychological Distress in Cancer Survivors
  Ilaria Pepe, Alessandro Petrelli, Francesco Fischetti, Carla Minoia, Stefania Morsanuto, Livica Talaba, Stefania Cataldi, Gianpiero Greco
  Current Oncology.2025; 32(5): 289.     CrossRef
• Association between handgrip strength and quality of life among adults with asthma: Findings from a nationally representative Korean population
  Joo Hyeok Hong, Moon Seong Baek, Bomi Park, Emiliano Cè
  PLOS One.2025; 20(12): e0338197.     CrossRef
• The quality of life impacting factors in malnourished patients with gastric cancer
  Hong Zhao, Chenan Liu, Guotian Ruan, Xin Zheng, Yue Chen, Shiqi Lin, Xiaoyue Liu, Jinyu Shi, Xiangrui Li, Shuqun Li, Hanping Shi
  Frontiers in Oncology.2024;[Epub]     CrossRef
• Cardiovascular and Metabolic Determinants of Quality of Life in Patients with Cancer
  Ruben Evertz, Katharina Gödde, Christine Diehl, Miroslava Valentova, Tania Garfias-Veitl, Friederike Braulke, Gerald G. Wulf, Tobias R. Overbeck, Annalen Bleckmann, Alexander O. König, Pia Weinländer, Sophia Potthoff, Sara Hadzibegovic, Alessia Lena, Ulri
  ESC Heart Failure.2023; 10(1): 167.     CrossRef
• Understanding Heterogeneity in the Relationship Between Cancer and Hand Grip Strength: A Longitudinal Analysis
  Jinho Kim, Gum-Ryeong Park
  Research on Aging.2023; 45(7-8): 586.     CrossRef
• Better Handgrip Strength Is Related to the Lower Prevalence of Pain and Anxiety in Community-Dwelling Older Adults
  Natalia Sosowska, Agnieszka Guligowska, Bartłomiej Sołtysik, Ewa Borowiak, Tomasz Kostka, Joanna Kostka
  Journal of Clinical Medicine.2023; 12(11): 3846.     CrossRef
• Predictors of lower exercise capacity in patients with cancer
  Ruben Evertz, Christine Diehl, Katharina Gödde, Miroslava Valentova, Tania Garfias-Veitl, Tobias R. Overbeck, Friederike Braulke, Alessia Lena, Sara Hadzibegovic, Annalen Bleckmann, Ulrich Keller, Ulf Landmesser, Alexander O. König, Gerd Hasenfuss, Andrea
  Scientific Reports.2023;[Epub]     CrossRef
• NEUROCANTRIAL: study protocol for a randomised controlled trial of a pain neuroscience education programme in adults with cancer pain
  Leidy Tatiana Ordoñez-Mora, Ilem D Rosero, Marco Antonio Morales-Osorio, Rocío Guil, Giancarlo Quintero Jordan, Julian Alberto Agudelo Jimenez, Katherine Gonzalez-Ruiz, Juan Carlos Avila-Valencia
  BMJ Open.2023; 13(9): e071493.     CrossRef
• Differences in Health-Related Quality of Life in Older People with and without Sarcopenia Covered by Long-Term Care Insurance
  Masahiro Kitamura, Kazuhiro P. Izawa, Kodai Ishihara, Peter H. Brubaker, Hiroaki Matsuda, Soichiro Okamura, Koji Fujioka
  European Journal of Investigation in Health, Psychology and Education.2022; 12(6): 536.     CrossRef
• Associations of Physical Activity and Handgrip Strength with Health-Related Quality of Life in Older Korean Cancer Survivors
  Jeonghyeon Kim, Seamon Kang, Donghyun Kim, Hyunsik Kang
  Cancers.2022; 14(24): 6067.     CrossRef
• Differences in the Relationships Between Muscle Strength, Muscle Mass, Balance Function, and Quality of Life for Middle-Aged and Older Breast Cancer Survivors
  Shinichiro Morishita, Ryuichi Kasahara, Yuichi Yamamoto, Ryohei Jinbo, Aya Takano, Mitsuhiko Yasuda, Atsuhiro Tsubaki, Osamu Aoki, Jack B. Fu, Tetsuya Tsuji
  Integrative Cancer Therapies.2022;[Epub]     CrossRef