Sarcopenic obesity is a postoperative prognostic factor for stage II and III colorectal cancer

Impact of CT-measured sarcopenic obesity on postoperative outcomes following colon cancer surgery

OBJECTIVE

This study aimed to investigate the influence of sarcopenic obesity on anastomotic leak following elective colon resection for non-metastatic colon cancer. Secondary outcomes included overall morbidity, mortality and length of hospital stay.

METHODS

This retrospective observational study, conducted at a colorectal surgery referral centre, spanned from January 1, 2015, to January 1, 2020. A total of 544 consecutive patients who underwent elective colon resection were included in the analysis, excluding patients with rectal cancer, urgent surgery, absence of anastomosis, lack of imaging, multivisceral resections and synchronic tumours.

RESULTS

Postoperative complications were observed in 177 (32.3%) patients, with 51 (9.31%) classified as severe (Clavien-Dindo > II). Sarcopenic obesity was identified in 9.39% of the sample and emerged as an independent predictor of increased overall morbidity [OR 2.15 (1.14-3.69); p = 0.016] and 30-day mortality [OR 5.07 (1.22-20.93); p = 0.03] and was significantly associated with the development of anastomotic leak [OR 2.95 (1.41-6.18); p = 0.007]. Furthermore, it increased the risk of reoperation and was linked to a prolonged length of hospital stay.

CONCLUSIONS

CT-measured sarcopenic obesity demonstrates a discernible correlation with an elevated risk of postoperative morbidity and mortality in the context of colon cancer surgery.

The Prognostic Impact of Preoperative Osteopenia in Patients With Colorectal Cancer

BACKGROUND

Osteopenia, a condition in which bone mineral density is lower than normal, is a noted risk factor that leads to a shortened healthy life expectancy.

OBJECTIVE

To investigate the prognostic impact of preoperative osteopenia in patients with colorectal cancer.

DESIGN

This was a retrospective study.

SETTING

This study was conducted at a university hospital.

PATIENTS

A total of 1086 patients with stage I to III colorectal cancer who underwent curative resection.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES

Osteopenia was evaluated with CT. Overall survival, disease-specific survival, and recurrence-free survival were the primary end points.

RESULTS

Osteopenia was identified in 300 patients (27.6%). Compared with the no osteopenia group, the 5-year overall survival (74.0% vs 93.4%, p < 0.001), disease-specific survival (81.6% vs 97.2%, p < 0.001), and recurrence-free survival rates (57.1% vs 88.3%, p < 0.001) were significantly lower in the osteopenia group. Multivariate analyses showed that preoperative osteopenia was significantly associated with worse overall survival (HR: 4.135; 95% CI, 2.963-5.770; p < 0.001), disease-specific survival (HR: 7.673; 95% CI, 4.646-12.675; p < 0.001), and recurrence-free survival (HR: 5.039; 95% CI, 3.811-6.662; p < 0.001). The prognosis of the osteopenia group was poorer than that of the no osteopenia group in every stage: 5-year overall survival (stage I: 89.4% vs 96.9%, p = 0.028; stage II: 76.5% vs 91.9%, p < 0.001; stage III: 56.4% vs 90.8%, p < 0.001) and 5-year recurrence-free survival (stage I: 85.4% vs 96.6%, p = 0.002; stage II: 62.0% vs 86.5%, p < 0.001; stage III: 26.4% vs 80.0%, p < 0.001).

LIMITATIONS

The main limitations are retrospective single-institutional features and races of the study population.

CONCLUSIONS

Preoperative osteopenia could be a strong predictive marker for long-term prognosis in colorectal cancer regardless of stage.

EL IMPACTO PRONSTICO DE LA OSTEOPENIA PREOPERATORIA EN PACIENTES CON CNCER COLORRECTAL

ANTECEDENTES:La osteopenia, una afección en la que la densidad mineral ósea es más baja de lo normal, es un relevante factor de riesgo que conduce a una expectativa menor de vida saludable.OBJETIVO:Investigar el impacto pronóstico de la osteopenia preoperatoria en pacientes con cáncer colorrectal (CCR).DISEÑO:Un estudio retrospectivo.AJUSTE:Estudio realizado en un hospital universitario.PACIENTES:Un total de 1.086 pacientes con CCR en estadio I-III sometidos a una resección curativa.PRINCIPALES MEDIDAS DE RESULTADO:La osteopenia se evaluó con imágenes de tomografía computarizada. La supervivencia global la supervivencia específica de la enfermedad y la supervivencia libre de recurrencia fueron los criterios de valoración primaria.RESULTADOS:Se identificó osteopenia en 300 pacientes (27,6%). En comparación con el grupo sin osteopenia, las tasas de supervivencia global a 5 años (74,0% frente a 93,4%, p < 0,001), supervivencia especifica de la enfermedad (81,6 % frente a 97,2%, p < 0,001) tasas de supervivencia libre de recurrencia (57,1% frente a 88,3%, p < 0,001) fueron significativamente más bajas en el grupo de osteopenia. Los análisis multivariados mostraron que la osteopenia preoperatoria se asoció significativamente con una peor supervivencia global (HR 4,135; IC 95% 2,963-5,770; p < 0,001), supervivencia especifica de la enfermedad (HR 7,673; IC 95% 4,646-12,675; p < 0,001) y tasas de supervivencia libre de recurrencia (HR 5,039; IC 95% 3,811-6,662; p < 0,001). El pronóstico del grupo con osteopenia fue peor que el del grupo sin osteopenia en todos los estadios: supervivencia global a 5 años (estadio I: 89,4% frente a 96,9%, p = 0,028; estadio II: 76,5% frente a 91,9%, p < 0,001; estadio III: 56,4% frente a 90,8%, p < 0,001) y tasas de supervivencia libre de recurrencia a 5 años (estadio I: 85,4% frente a 96,6%, p < 0,002; estadio II: 62,0% frente a 86,5%, p < 0,001; estadio III: 26,4% frente a 80,0%, p < 0,001).LIMITACIONES:Las principales limitaciones son las características retrospectivas de una sola institución y las razas de la población de estudio.CONCLUSIONES:La osteopenia preoperatoria puede ser un fuerte marcador predictivo para el pronóstico a largo plazo en CCR independientemente de la etapa. (Traducción-Dr. Fidel Ruiz Healy ).

Significance of skeletal muscle index-to-body mass index ratio as a predictor of post-surgical bleeding after mastectomy in patients with breast cancer

BACKGROUND

Post-surgical bleeding is a major complication of mastectomy in patients with breast cancer. However, the risk factors for post-surgical bleeding have not been well studied. Although obesity or reduced skeletal muscle mass is an indicator of cancer surgery complications, its impact on post-surgical bleeding after mastectomy remains unknown.

METHODS

In total, 563 patients with breast cancer who underwent mastectomy were included in this study. We evaluated the preoperative body mass index (BMI), skeletal muscle index (SMI), and SMI-to-BMI ratio and analyzed the association between these values and the incidence of post-surgical bleeding.

RESULTS

Post-surgical bleeding occurred in 33 (5.6%) patients. Mean BMI was significantly higher in the bleeding group (26.3 ± 4.7) than in the no-bleeding group (23.0 ± 4.1) (p < 0.001), whereas mean SMI was lower in the former group (45.0 ± 8.5) than in the latter group (48.0 ± 8.5) (p = 0.08). The bleeding group had significantly lower SMI-to-BMI ratio (1.71 ± 0.16) than the no-bleeding group (2.10 ± 0.23) (p < 0.001). Among these three parameters, SMI-to-BMI ratio had the highest area under the curve value in their receiver operating characteristic curves (0.73 for BMI, 0.59 for SMI, 0.92 for SMI-to-BMI ratio). Furthermore, on multivariate analysis, SMI-to-BMI ratio was an independent risk factor for post-surgical bleeding (hazard ratio, 38.4; 95% confidence interval, 13.9-136.2; p < 0.001).

CONCLUSIONS

SMI-to-BMI ratio is a superior predictive factor of post-surgical bleeding after mastectomy to either BMI or SMI alone.

Diagnosis and prevalence of sarcopenic obesity in patients with colorectal cancer: A scoping review

BACKGROUND & AIMS

Sarcopenic obesity (SO) is associated with worse outcomes in patients with colorectal cancer (CRC); however, the diagnostic methods and prevalence of SO vary among studies. Therefore, we conducted this scoping review to investigate the diagnosis of SO in CRC, identify the associated problems, and determine its prevalence.

METHODS

A systematic review was conducted according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses Extension for Scoping Reviews reporting guidelines. A literature search was performed by two independent reviewers on studies that diagnosed SO in CRC using the MEDLINE, EMBASE, CINAHL, CENTRAL, Web of Science, and Ichushi-Web (in Japanese) databases. Observational, longitudinal, cross-sectional, and clinical trials written in English or Japanese as of July 2022 were included. Studies that did not define SO were excluded from the analysis. The study protocol was pre-registered in Figshare.

RESULTS

In total, 670 studies were identified, 22 of which were included. Eighteen studies used sarcopenia in combination with obesity to diagnose SO. Sarcopenia was mainly diagnosed using skeletal muscle mass index (SMI), and only one combined with grip strength or gait speed. Obesity was diagnosed based on the body mass index (BMI; n = 11), followed by visceral fat area (VFA; n = 5). The overall prevalence of SO in patients with CRC was 15% (95%CI, 11-21%). The prevalence of SO in surgical resection and colorectal cancer liver metastases was 18% (95%CI, 12-25%) and 11% (95%CI, 3-36%), respectively.

CONCLUSIONS

SO in patients with CRC was mainly diagnosed based on a combination of SMI and BMI, and muscle strength and body composition were rarely evaluated. The prevalence of SO was approximately 15%, depending on the diagnostic methods used. Since SO in patients with CRC is associated with poor prognosis, further research on diagnostic methods for the early detection of SO and its clinical outcomes is needed.

Impact of Sarcopenic Obesity on Long-Term Cancer Outcomes and Postoperative Complications After Gastrectomy for Gastric Cancer

BACKGROUND

The prevalence of sarcopenia in gastric cancer (GC), although varying among the reported studies, is around 60%. In the last few years, it has been recognised that sarcopenia can also occur not only in patients with weight loss and low body weight, but also in patients with normal or increased body mass index. Therefore, the term sarcopenic obesity (SO) is a new definition that further expands the implications of altered body composition. The aim of this study was to assess the impact of SO on the perioperative morbidity and the survival of GC patients undergoing gastrectomy by evaluating body composition on CT images.

METHODS

Preoperative CT scans were obtained from all patients with a diagnosis of GC undergoing gastrectomy with curative intent between January 2012 and December 2019. Skeletal muscle mass index (SMMI) and visceral adipose tissue (VAT) cross-sectional area at the level of the transverse processes of the third lumbar vertebra (L3) were measured. Sarcopenia and obesity were defined according to sex-specific cut-off points.

RESULTS

After analysing 190 patients, the prevalence of SO was 21.1% (40 patients) and sarcopenia was 14.7% (28 patients). Multivariate analysis showed that corporal composition was an independent factor of overall survival (p = 0.049). Logistic regression was performed to identify risk factors associated with postoperative complications. SO was identified as a risk factor for serious Clavien-Dindo complications > IIIb/IV [OR 2.82 (1.1-7.1); p = 0.028].

CONCLUSION

SO was a risk factor for severe postoperative complications as well as worse long-term oncological after a gastrectomy for GC.

Sarcobesity Index Predicts Poor Disease-Specific Survival After Resection for Colorectal Cancer

INTRODUCTION

Sarcobesity (SO) is traditionally defined as the association between low muscle mass and obesity and has been reported to worsen prognosis after curative resection for colorectal cancer (CRC). This study aimed to propose a new definition of SO based on computed tomography measurements of the skeletal muscle area (SMA) and visceral adipose tissue (VAT) and to assess its implications on long-term survival after curative resection for stage I-III CRC.

METHODS

We retrospectively analyzed 506 patients with stage I-III CRC who underwent surgery between January 2010 and December 2019. Preoperative computed tomography images were analyzed and the sarcobesity index (SI) was calculated for each patient as the VAT/SMA ratio. The optimal cutoff value for predicting survival was determined using time-dependent receiver operating characteristic analysis. Overall survival and disease-specific survival (DSS) were compared between SO (SI > 1.25) and non-SO (SI ≤ 1.25) patients. The rates and modes of recurrence were also compared between the two groups.

RESULTS

Three hundred (59.3%) patients were identified to be sarcobese. No differences in short-term outcomes and administration of adjuvant chemotherapy were found, except for a longer length of stay in patients with SO. In a univariable analysis, SO was associated with a worse 5-y overall survival and DSS, considering the whole population and stages II and III separately. A multivariable analysis confirmed SO to be an independent risk factor for DSS (hazard ratio 2.29; 95% confidence interval 1.13-4.62, P = 0.02). Although the overall recurrence rate did not differ between the groups, a significantly higher rate of recurrence at multiple sites was observed in patients with SO (P = 0.01).

CONCLUSIONS

The SI, defined as per the VAT/SMA ratio, seems to be a reliable tool for identifying patients with worse DSS after potentially curative surgery for stage I-III CRC.

Long noncoding RNA SNHG10 promotes colorectal cancer cells malignant progression by targeting miR-3690

Long noncoding RNA small nucleolar RNA host gene 10 (SNHG10) has been suggested to function as tumor promoter in various human cancer types. Herein, the role of SNHG10 in colorectal cancer (CRC) was explored. Expression levels of genes in colorectal cancer tissues and cell lines were detected by Starbase and reverse transcription quantitative PCR (RT-qPCR) Cell Counting Kit-8 (CCK-8), the BrdU incorporation assay and Transwell assays were explored to study the function of SNHG10 in HCT116 and DXH-1 cells. In addition, the interaction of SNHG10 and miR-3690 was analyzed by dual-luciferase reporter assays. SNHG10 had a high expression level in CRC tissues and cell lines. Meanwhile, knockdown of SNHG10 reduced cell viability, inhibited cell proliferation and decreased cell migration and invasion. Moreover, bioinformatics analysis revealed that one potential target gene of SNHG10 was miR-3690. Dual-luciferase reporter assay confirmed that miR-3690 directly targeted SNHG10. Importantly, SNHG10 could decrease the expression of miR-3690 in HCT116 and DXH-1 cells. More importantly, the silencing of miR-3690 reversed the effect of the SNHG10 knockdown on the cell viability, proliferation, migration and invasion of HCT116 and DXH-1 cells. The present results demonstrated that SNHG10 promotes colorectal cancer cells the malignant progression by targeting miR-3690.Abbreviations: CRC: Colorectal cancer; Lnc RNA: Long noncoding RNA; microRNAs: miRNAs/miRs; RT-qPCR: reverse transcription quantitative polymerase chain reaction; CCK-8: Cell Counting Kit-8.