Longitudinal changes in skeletal muscle mass in patients with advanced squamous cell lung cancer

Abstract

Abstract Background Skeletal muscle depletion (sarcopenia) is associated with poor prognosis in patients with lung cancer. We analyzed changes in skeletal muscle area using serial computed tomography (CT) until the death of patients with advanced squamous cell lung cancer (SQCLC). Methods This retrospective study comprised 70 consecutive patients who underwent palliative chemotherapy for SQCLC. The cross‐sectional area of the skeletal muscle at the level of the first lumbar vertebra (L1) was measured using chest CT. An artificial intelligence algorithm was developed and used for the serial assessment of the muscle area. Sarcopenia was defined as an L1 skeletal muscle index 3.24 cm2/month) had shorter overall survival than patients losing skeletal muscle slowly (median, 5.7 vs. 12.0 months, p < 0.001). Conclusions Patients with advanced SQCLC lose a significant amount of skeletal muscle until death. The rate of muscle area reduction is faster at the end of life.

Keywords

• cancer cachexia
• chemotherapy
• lung cancer
• prognosis
• sarcopenia