Impact of sarcopenia in advanced and metastatic soft tissue sarcoma

Abstract Introduction Advanced or metastatic soft tissue sarcoma (a/mSTS) is associated with a dismal prognosis. Patient counseling on treatment aggressiveness is pivotal to avoid over- or undertreatment. Recently, evaluation of body composition markers like the skeletal muscle index (SMI) became focus of interest in a variety of cancers. This study focuses on the prognostic impact of SMI in a/mSTS, retrospectively. Methods 181 a/mSTS patients were identified, 89 were eligible due to prespecified criteria for SMI assessment. Baseline CT-Scans were analyzed using an institutional software solution. Sarcopenia defining cut-off values for the SMI were established by optimal fitting method. Primary end point was overall survival (OS) and secondary endpoints were progression free survival (PFS), disease control rate (DCR), overall response rate (ORR). Descriptive statistics as well as Kaplan Meier- and Cox regression analyses were administered. Results 28/89 a/mSTS patients showed sarcopenia. Sarcopenic patients were significantly older, generally tended to receive less multimodal therapies (62 vs. 57 years, P = 0.025; respectively median 2.5 vs. 4, P = 0.132) and showed a significantly lower median OS (4 months [95%CI 1.9–6.0] vs. 16 months [95%CI 8.8–23.2], Log-rank P = 0.002). Sarcopenia was identified as independent prognostic parameter of impaired OS (HR 2.40 [95%-CI 1.4–4.0], P < 0.001). Moreover, DCR of first palliative medical treatment was superior in non-sarcopenic patients (49.2% vs. 25%, P = 0.032). Conclusion This study identifies sarcopenia as a prognostic parameter in a/mSTS. Further on, the data suggest that sarcopenia shows a trend of being associated with first line therapy response. SMI is a promising prognostic parameter, which needs further validation.

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Sarcopenia (SMI(+)) in patients (pts) with advanced or metastatic soft tissue sarcoma (a/mSTS): Potential parameter for risk prediction during multimodal therapy (MT)?

Journal of Clinical Oncology ◽

10.1200/jco.2019.37.15_suppl.11069 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 37 (15_suppl) ◽

pp. 11069-11069

Author(s):

Dennis Strassmann ◽

Bennet Hensen ◽

Viktor Gruenwald ◽

Katharina Stange ◽

Hendik Eggers ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Cox Regression ◽

Multivariable Analysis ◽

Medical Treatments ◽

Skeletal Muscle Index ◽

Kaplan Meier ◽

Dismal Prognosis ◽

Fitting Method ◽

Metastatic Soft Tissue Sarcoma ◽

The Impact ◽

To Receive

11069 Background: Objective parameters identifying ideal pts for MT from pts with a/mSTS remain scarce. Here, we analysed the impact of sacropenia in a/mSTS pts on treatment outcome of MT, retrospectively. Methods: Pts. with a/m STS treated at our centre (12/98-5/16ere identified. 89/181 pts were evaluable for analysis (CT-scans: -14 days before MT onset). Lumbar skeletal muscle index (SMI) was measured with MeVisLab 2.7 by manually segmentation of preinterventional CTs. SMI cut-off were defined through optimal fitting method (sarcopenia = SMI(+) in male: < 44 , in female: 38). Progression was defined by clinical or radiological judgment. Descriptive statistics, Kaplan-Meier-analysis and Cox-regression were administered. Results: At MT onset 28/89 pts (31%) suffered from sarcopenia, and SMI(+) pts were older than SMI(-) pts (p = 0.025). SMI(+) pts tends to receive lower numbers of medical treatments, received less often surgery, and more frequently radiotherapy, although differences were not significant. Further on, SMI(+) pts tends to profit less from first line medical treatment, compared to SMI(-) pts (objective responses: 14,3% vs. 27.9%, p = .161, clinical benefit rate: 25% vs. 65.6%, p = .032, PFS: 1 (95%-CI:.35-1.65) vs. 16 (95%CI:8.8-23.2) months, p = .002). OS was inferior in SMI(+) compared to SMI(-) pts. (4 (95%CI:2-6) vs. 16 (95%CI:8.8-23.2), p = .002). Multivariable analysis showed a trend for SMI(+) to be associated with PFS (HR: 1.7 (95%CI: 0.9-2.8), p = .067) and were independently associated with OS (HR: 2.53 (95%CI: 1.5-4.2), p < .001). Conclusions: In our cohort sarcopenia tends to be associated with less aggressive therapy in a/mSTS pts. However, sarcopenia tends to be associated with inferior PFS and was identified as independent risk factor for inferior OS. Although this analysis is limited due to its sample size sarcopenia might offer an attractive tool as guidance for treatment intensity modulation in a/mSTS patients, avoiding overtreatment in this cohort with dismal prognosis.

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