Key clinical point: Computed tomography-determined low skeletal muscle mass (SMM) predicts worse overall survival (OS) in patients with gastric cancer and associated cachexia but not in those without cachexia.
Major finding: Patients with a low vs normal SMM had a significantly worse OS ( P = .007). A low SMM significantly predicted worse OS in patients with cachexia ( P = .009) but not in those without cachexia ( P = .31).
Study details: This retrospective study included 255 adult patients with gastric cancer, of which 117 had low SMM including 49 patients with cachexia.
Disclosures: This study received no specific funding. The authors declared no conflicts of interest.
Source: Wan Q et al. CT-determined low skeletal muscle mass predicts worse overall survival of gastric cancer in patients with cachexia. Cancer Med. 2022 (Jul 18). Doi: 10.1002/cam4.5040