The following is a summary of “Combined assessment of muscle quality and quantity predicts oncological outcome in patients with esophageal cancer,” published in the JUNE 2023 issue of Surgery by Kitajima, et al.

Sarcopenia, characterized by myopenia (muscle loss) and myosteatosis (infiltration of fat into the muscle), is common in patients with esophageal cancer. For a study, researchers sought to compare different body composition indexes, including a newly developed modified intramuscular adipose tissue content (mIMAC), to investigate their clinical significance in esophageal cancer patients.

They assessed preoperative psoas muscle mass index (PMI), intramuscular adipose tissue content (IMAC), and modified intramuscular adipose tissue content (mIMAC) in 150 patients with esophageal cancer.

The analysis revealed that older age was significantly associated with higher preoperative IMAC and lower preoperative mIMAC. Additionally, decreased preoperative mIMAC was significantly associated with advanced T classification and distant metastasis. Patients with low preoperative mIMAC had significantly poorer overall and disease-free survival, independent of other factors. The combined assessment of preoperative mIMAC with PMI helped stratify the risk for oncological outcomes in esophageal cancer patients. Furthermore, preoperative PMI and mIMAC showed positive correlations with various nutritional factors in these patients.

The combined assessment of preoperative PMI and mIMAC can help stratify the risk for oncological outcomes in patients with esophageal cancer. Moreover, preoperative mIMAC may serve as a surrogate marker for aging and nutritional status in these patients. The findings emphasized the importance of evaluating body composition indexes, particularly mIMAC, in the preoperative assessment and management of esophageal cancer patients.

Source: americanjournalofsurgery.com/article/S0002-9610(22)00771-1/fulltext