title: Sarcopenia Does Not Affect Survival or Outcomes in Soft-Tissue Sarcoma.
abstract: Background and Objective. Sarcopenia is associated with decreased survival and increased complications in carcinoma patients. We hypothesized that sarcopenic soft-tissue sarcoma (STS) patients would have decreased survival, increased incidence of wound complications, and increased length of postresection hospital stay (LOS). Methods. A retrospective, single-center review of 137 patients treated surgically for STS was conducted. Sarcopenia was assessed by measuring the cross-sectional area of bilateral psoas muscles (total psoas muscle area, TPA) at the level of the third lumbar vertebrae on a pretreatment axial computed tomography scan. TPA was then adjusted for height (cm(2)/m(2)). The association between height-adjusted TPA and survival was assessed using Cox proportional hazard model. A logistical model was used to assess the association between height-adjusted TPA and wound complications. A linear model was used to assess the association between height-adjusted TPA and LOS. Results. Height-adjusted TPA was not an independent predictor of overall survival (p = 0.746). Patient age (p = 0.02) and tumor size (p = 0.009) and grade (p = 0.001) were independent predictors of overall survival. Height-adjusted TPA was not a predictor of increased hospital LOS (p = 0.66), greater incidence of postoperative infection (p = 0.56), or other wound complications (p = 0.14). Conclusions. Sarcopenia does not appear to impact overall survival, LOS, or wound complications in patients with STS.
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopaedics and Rehabilitation, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN 37232, USA.
authors.forename: Robert J
authors.initials: RJ
authors.lastname: Wilson
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopaedics, Carolinas Medical Center, Charlotte, NC 28203, USA.
authors.forename: Vignesh K
authors.initials: VK
authors.lastname: Alamanda
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology and Radiological Sciences, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN 37232, USA.
authors.forename: Katherine G
authors.initials: KG
authors.lastname: Hartley
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopaedics, Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, OH 44195, USA.
authors.forename: Nathan W
authors.initials: NW
authors.lastname: Mesko
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopaedics and Rehabilitation, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN 37232, USA.
authors.forename: Jennifer L
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Halpern
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopaedics and Rehabilitation, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN 37232, USA.
authors.forename: Herbert S
authors.initials: HS
authors.lastname: Schwartz
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopaedics and Rehabilitation, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN 37232, USA.
authors.forename: Ginger E
authors.initials: GE
authors.lastname: Holt