Cachexia Index: A Marker for Survival in Pancreatic Cancer?
Year: 2019
Type: article
Study design: Observational Study
Abstract: Mentors: Lyudmyla Berim and Jennifer Oliveto Program: Radiology Introduction: The incidence of pancreatic cancer is on the rise and continues to have a poor overall survival despite advancement in treatment strategies. The effect of sarcopenia on the prognosis of patients with pancreatic cancer is unknown. Methods: We performed a single-center retrospective study at our institution by measuring muscle mass among patients with pancreatic cancer from CT scan at initial diagnosis and at 8 weeks post-treatment. The results were stratified based on the percentage of muscle loss (<10% and >10%) to determine whether sarcopenia impacted outcomes primarily, overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS). Results: This retrospective study included 162 patients from the University of Nebraska medical center diagnosed between 2009 and 2017 with stage I–IV pancreatic cancer. We calculated hazard ratios (HRs) to evaluate the associations of overall survival with sarcopenia. There is a significant association between improved OS and PFS among those with less intensive reduction in muscle mass (p=0.038, p=0.027 respectively). However, no significant association of BMI loss with overall mortality on either OS or PFS (p=0.80, p=0.65). Conclusion: The presence of sarcopenia may be a predictor of prognosis among patients with pancreatic cancer. A better understanding of the molecular mechanisms of sarcopenia might help improve survival outcomes in pancreatic cancer.
Authors: Krishnan, Mridula, Yu, Lei, Ferdinand, Osayande O, Dasgupta, Aneesha, Berim, Lyudmyla, Oliveto, Jennifer, Singh, Pankaj, Yu, Fang, Morshed, Alam
Institution: University of Nebraska Medical Center
Language: English
Subfield: Physiology
Field: Medicine
Domain: Health Sciences
Open Access status: diamond
OpenAlex ID: W2995307717