CT-Determined Sarcopenia and Mortality in Critically Ill Cancer Patients

The goal of this observational study is to evaluate the association between computed tomography-determined sarcopenia and muscle quality impairment with 28-day mortality in adult patients (aged 18 and older) with solid or hematologic malignancies admitted to the Intensive Care Unit (ICU).

The main question it aims to answer is: Is lower psoas muscle quality, calculated using the Hounsfield Unit Average Calculation (HUAC), associated with increased 28-day mortality in critically ill cancer patients? Researchers will compare patients who survived at 28 days with those who died to evaluate whether tomographic muscle measurements (HUAC and total psoas area) and clinical nutritional scores (mNUTRIC) differ between groups and predict mortality.

Participants' records will be evaluated through:

• A retrospective review of electronic medical records to collect demographic, clinical, oncologic, laboratory, and disease severity scores (APACHE II, SOFA, mNUTRIC).
• Quantitative tomographic assessment of the right and left psoas muscle area and radiation attenuation density (in Hounsfield Units) using existing computed tomography (CT) scans performed during routine clinical care.
• Follow-up of 28-day vital status (alive or deceased) after ICU admission.