The Significance of Postoperative Muscle Wasting in Pancreatic Cancer

National Cheng Kung University Hospital

To assess the impact of preoperative sarcopenia and postoperative skeletal muscle wasting on the outcomes of patients with resectable pancreatic cancer who underwent pancreatectomy.

Previous studies have revealed that sarcopenia, defined as generalized loss of skeletal muscle mass, is a poor prognostic factor following surgery. However, research focusing on postoperative muscle wasting and its influence on the prognosis of resectable pancreatic cancer (PC) is limited. Investigators retrospectively reviewed 208 patients who underwent pancreatectomy for PC at the National Cheng Kung University Hospital (NCKUH) between June 2002 and April 2020. Clinical information regarding patient characteristics, pathological parameters, and biochemical features was collected from all patients using electronic medical records (EMRs) under an IRB-approved protocol (B-ER-110-420) at NCKUH. Preoperative psoas major area and the degree of muscle reduction at 3 months postoperatively were calculated using computed tomography to define sarcopenia and drastic muscle wasting. Patients were assigned to two groups based on sarcopenia or drastic muscle wasting, and compared for postoperative morbidity, disease free survival (DFS), and overall survival (OS).

Inclusion Criteria:

• Clinical diagnosis of pancreatic cancer
• Must be able to undergo pancreatectomy
• Must be able to undergo pre- and post-operative abdominal computed tomography scan

Exclusion Criteria:

• Unresectable pancreatic cancer