Abstract
Background: The clinical significance of sarcopenia in colorectal cancer obstruction has not yet been described. The present study aimed to determine the short and long-term oncologic impacts of sarcopenia in obstructive colorectal cancer.
Methods: We retrospectively analyzed 214 patients with obstructive colon cancer between January 2004 and December 2013. Initial staging computed tomography (CT) scans identified sarcopenia and visceral obesity by measuring the muscle and visceral fat areas at the third lumbar vertebra level. Both short-term postoperative and long-term oncologic outcomes were analyzed.
Results: Among all 214 patients, 71 (33.2%) were diagnosed with sarcopenia. Sarcopenia had a negative oncologic impact in both disease-free survival (DFS) and overall survival (OS), (hazard ratio [HR] = 1.86, 95 % confidence interval [CI] 1.04 – 3.13, p = 0.037, and HR = 1.92, CI 1.02 – 3.60, p = 0.043, respectively). Visceral adiposity, body mass index (BMI) and neutrophil-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) did not significantly impact DFS and OS.
Conclusion: Sarcopenia is a clinical factor significantly associated with OS and DFS but not with short-term complications in obstructive colorectal cancer. In future, prospective studies should incorporate body composition data in patient risk assessments and oncologic prediction tools.
Short-term Oncologic Outcome of Curative Resection for Obstructive Colorectal Cancer Followed by Stent Insertion: Comparative Study with Non-abstructive Colorectal Cancer
