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Background/aim: Although perioperative chemotherapy has improved patient survival, sarcopenia may occur during chemotherapy owing to decreased food intake and physical strength. However, reports on the occurrence of sarcopenia and changes in body composition in patients with pancreatic cancer during neoadjuvant chemotherapy are scarce. This study aimed to determine the effect of changes in skeletal muscle mass during neoadjuvant chemotherapy on the S-1 adjuvant chemotherapy clinical course in patients who underwent perioperative chemotherapy and surgical resection., Patients and Methods: We retrospectively enrolled 159 patients with pancreatic cancer who underwent neoadjuvant chemotherapy and surgical resection, followed by S-1 adjuvant chemotherapy. We evaluated changes in skeletal muscle mass during neoadjuvant chemotherapy using abdominal computed tomography and the SliceOmatic software. The association between the rate of change in skeletal muscle mass index (Δ%SMI) during neoadjuvant chemotherapy and the continuation of S-1 adjuvant chemotherapy was investigated., Results: Eighty-eight (55.3%) patients lost skeletal muscle mass (Δ%SMI <0) during neoadjuvant chemotherapy with a significantly low S-1 adjuvant completion rate (p=0.02). Δ%SMI <0 was an independent risk factor for the continuation of S-1 adjuvant chemotherapy (hazard ratio=1.924, 95% confidence interval=1.002-3.695, p=0.049). Moreover, the lower the Δ%SMI, the lower the S-1 continuation rate (p=0.022)., Conclusion: Loss of skeletal muscle mass during neoadjuvant chemotherapy for pancreatic cancer affected the continuation of S-1 adjuvant chemotherapy after pancreatic resection. Therefore, ameliorating loss of skeletal muscle mass during neoadjuvant chemotherapy should be carefully considered to improve the continuation rate of adjuvant chemotherapy and the survival of patients with pancreatic cancer., (Copyright © 2024 International Institute of Anticancer Research (Dr. George J. Delinasios), All rights reserved.)

Background and Objectives: Sarcopenia is the generalized loss of muscle strength, mass, and function. The aim was to investigate whether pretherapeutic sarcopenia, as determined by the psoas muscles, affects therapy-mediated toxicity in patients with malignant melanoma undergoing immunotherapy., Patients and Methods: Measurement of psoas musculature was performed pretherapeutically using computed tomography at the level of the third lumbar vertebra in the axial plane in 75 patients between January 2011 and December 2020. Sarcopenia was defined using the psoas muscle index (PMI). Immune-related toxicity was retrospectively assessed., Results: Treatment-related toxicity was recorded in 33 of the 75 patients (44%). Of these, 16 patients (36.2%) experienced dose-limiting severe events (DLT). Pretherapeutic sarcopenia was identified in 25 patients (33.3%). Comparative analysis showed that the patients with a DLT had lower PMI values compared with the patient group without a DLT (4.65 ± 1.33 vs. 5.79 ± 1.67 cm 2 m -2 , p = 0.015) (odds ratio = 0.60, 95% confidence interval 0.40-0.92, p = 0.02)., Conclusions: Pretherapeutic sarcopenia measured based on the psoas muscle is not a significant predictor of immune-mediated toxicity in patients with malignant melanoma treated with immune checkpoint inhibitors. Patients with DLT have lower values for the psoas muscle parameters PMI compared to the group of patients without DLT., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

The emergence of immunotherapy, particularly immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs), represents a groundbreaking approach to treating gastric cancer (GC). However, the prognosis of GC patients receiving ICI treatment is influenced by various factors. This manuscript identified sarcopenia and myosteatosis as inde-pendent prognostic factors impacting the outcomes of GC patients treated with ICIs. Additionally, this study introduced a visual predictive model to estimate the prognosis of GC patients. If confirmed by further studies, this observation could provide valuable insights to propel the advancement of personalized clinical medicine and the integration of precision medicine practices., Competing Interests: Conflict-of-interest statement: All the authors declare no conflicts of interest., (©The Author(s) 2024. Published by Baishideng Publishing Group Inc. All rights reserved.)

Background: As the global aging process accelerates, the health challenges posed by sarcopenia among middle-aged and older adults are becoming increasingly prominent. However, the available evidence on the adverse effects of air pollution on sarcopenia is limited, particularly in the Western Pacific region. This study aimed to explore relationships of multiple air pollutants with sarcopenia and related biomarkers using the nationally representative database., Methods: Totally, 6585 participants aged over 45 years were enrolled from the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (CHARLS) in 2011 and 3443 of them were followed up until 2015. Air pollutants were estimated from high-resolution satellite-based spatial-temporal models. In the cross-sectional analysis, we used generalized linear regression, unconditional logistic regression analytical and restricted cubic spline (RCS) methods to assess the single-exposure and non-linear effects of multiple air pollutants on sarcopenia and related surrogate biomarkers (serum creatinine and cystatin C). Several popular mixture analysis techniques such as Bayesian kernel machine regression (BKMR), weighted quantile sum (WQS) regression, and quantile-based g-computation (Qgcomp) were further used to examinate the combined effects of multiple air pollutants. Logistic regression was used to further analyze the longitudinal association between air pollution and sarcopenia., Results: Each interquartile range increase in PM 2.5 , PM 10 and NO 2 was significantly associated with an increased risk of sarcopenia, with adjusted odds ratios (aORs) of 1.09 [95 % confidence interval (CI): 1.01, 1.20], 1.24 (95 % CI: 1.14, 1.35) and 1.18 (95 % CI: 1.08, 1.28), respectively. Our findings also showed that five air pollutants were significantly associated with the sarcopenia index. In addition, employing a mixture analysis approach, we confirmed significant combined effects of air pollution mixtures on sarcopenia risk and associated biomarkers, with PM 10 and PM 2.5 identified as major contributors to the combined effect. The results of the exposure-response (E-R) relationships, subgroup analysis, longitudinal analysis and sensitivity analysis all showed the unfavorable impact of air pollution on sarcopenia risk and related vulnerable populations., Conclusions: Single-exposure and co-exposure to multiple air pollutants were positively associated with sarcopenia among middle-aged and older adults in China. Our study provided new evidence that air pollution mixture was significantly associated with sarcopenia related biomarkers., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Objectives: In ovarian and other cancers, low muscle mass and density are associated with poorer clinical outcomes. However, screening for cancer-related sarcopenia (typically defined as low muscle mass) is not routinely conducted. The European Working Group on Sarcopenia in Older People (EWGSOP) recommends an algorithm for sarcopenia screening and diagnosis in clinical settings, with sarcopenia based on muscle strength and mass, and severity on physical performance. We explored the application of the EWGSOP2 algorithm to assess sarcopenia in six ovarian cancer patients receiving neoadjuvant chemotherapy., Methods: We assessed sarcopenia risk with the SARC-F screening questionnaire (at risk ≥4 points), muscle strength with a handgrip strength test (cut point <16 kg) and five times sit-to-stand test (cut point >15 s), muscle mass by skeletal muscle index (SMI in cm 2 /m 2 from a single computed tomography [CT] image; cut point <38.5 cm 2 /m 2 ), and physical performance with a 4-m gait speed test (cut point ≤0.8 m/s)., Results: Of six participants, none were identified as "at risk" for sarcopenia based on SARC-F scores. Two participants were severely sarcopenic based on EWGSOP2 criteria (had low muscle strength, mass, and physical performance), and five participants were sarcopenic based on muscle mass only., Discussion: Ovarian cancer patients with low muscle mass during neoadjuvant chemotherapy may not be identified as sarcopenic based on the EWGSOP2 diagnostic algorithm. While lacking a universally accepted definition for cancer-related sarcopenia and cancer-specific recommendations for the screening, diagnosis, and treatment of sarcopenia, ovarian cancer clinicians should focus on the diagnosis and treatment of low muscle mass and density., (© 2024 The Author(s). Cancer Reports published by Wiley Periodicals LLC.)

Background: Neoadjuvant chemotherapy, used to shrink tumors before surgery, is increasingly applied in clinical practice. However, retrospective studies indicate that it may increase sarcopenia rates and consequently result in an elevated occurrence rate of postoperative severe complications such as severe surgical incision infection, severe respiratory failure, and severe postoperative hemorrhage, especially in the elderly population. Currently, no systematic analysis examines the association between neoadjuvant chemotherapy and sarcopenia. This study aims to fill this gap with a comprehensive meta-analysis focused on this critical aspect of the field., Methods: A systematic literature search was conducted in the PubMed and Web of Science databases from their inception to January 2024. The included studies encompassed patients who received neoadjuvant chemotherapy and underwent computed tomography (CT) scans both before and after treatment to calculate skeletal muscle index (SMI) or categorize them for the presence of sarcopenia. The determination of sarcopenia status was based on well-established and validated threshold criteria. Data extraction was performed independently by two reviewers. A meta-analysis was employed to estimate the pooled odds ratio (OR) and its corresponding 95% confidence interval (95% CI) to assess the risk of neoadjuvant chemotherapy-induced muscle reduction., Results: In the 14 studies with complete categorical variable data, comprising 1853 patients, 773 patients were identified as having sarcopenia before neoadjuvant treatment and 941 patients had sarcopenia after neoadjuvant therapy. The OR and its 95% CI was calculated as 1.51 [1.31, 1.73]. Among these, 719 patients had digestive system cancer, with 357 patients having sarcopenia before neoadjuvant treatment and 447 patients after, resulting in an OR of 1.74 [1.40, 2.17]. In the remaining 1134 patients with non-digestive system cancers, 416 were identified as having sarcopenia before neoadjuvant treatment, and 494 patients had sarcopenia after, with an OR of 1.37 [1.15, 1.63]. Additionally, in seven studies with complete continuous variable data, including 1228 patients, the mean difference in the change of SMI before and after neoadjuvant treatment was  - 1.13 [- 1.65,  - 0.62]. After excluding low-quality small-sample studies with fewer than 50 patients, the same trend was observed in the analysis., Conclusion: The risk of muscle reduction significantly increases in cancer patients after neoadjuvant chemotherapy and digestive system cancers tend to have a higher risk of developing sarcopenia post-treatment compared to non-digestive system cancers., (© 2024. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Federación de Sociedades Españolas de Oncología (FESEO).)

Background: Body composition has emerged as an important prognostic factor in patients treated with cancer. Severe depletion of skeletal muscle, sarcopenia, has been associated with poor performance status and worse oncological outcomes. We studied patients with metastatic breast cancer receiving alpelisib, to determine if sarcopenia and additional body composition measures accounting for muscle and adiposity are associated with toxicity., Methods: A retrospective observational analysis was conducted, including 38 women with metastatic breast cancer and a PIK3CA mutation, treated with alpelisib as advanced line of therapy. Sarcopenia was determined by measuring skeletal muscle cross-sectional area at the third lumbar vertebra using computerized tomography. Various body composition metrics were assessed along with drug toxicity, dose reductions, treatment discontinuation, hospitalizations, time to treatment failure and overall survival., Results: Sarcopenia was observed in half of the patients (n = 19, 50%), spanning normal weight, overweight, and obese individuals. Among the body composition measures, lower skeletal muscle density (SMD) was associated with an increased risk of treatment-related hyperglycaemia (P = 0.03). Additionally, lower visceral adipose tissue (VAT) was associated with alpelisib-induced rash (P = 0.04) and hospitalizations (P = 0.04). Notably, alpelisib treatment discontinuation was not impacted by alpelisib toxicity., Conclusion: Body composition measures, specifically SMD and VAT may provide an opportunity to identify patients at higher risk for severe alpelisib related hyperglycemia, and cutaneous toxicity. These findings suggest the potential use of body composition assessment to caution toxicity risk, allowing for personalized therapeutic observation and intervention., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Purpose: Various risk factors are mentioned for osteoporosis, sarcopenia, and osteosarcopenia. Our aim is to assess the impacts of anti-diabetic drugs on these disorders., Methods: To perform this study, the participants' data was extracted from the Bushehr Elderly Health (BEH) program in Iran. Afterward, the data were categorized into three subgroups: osteoporosis, sarcopenia, and osteosarcopenia, based on WHO and European Working Group on Sarcopenia in Older People (EWGSOP-2) working group definitions. Demographic characteristics, anthropometric measures, past medical history, and current medications were recorded. Pearson chi-squared and simple/multiple logistic regression using Python (3.11.4) and R (4.3.1) programming software assessed the association between anti-diabetic agents and these bone disorders., Results: Out of 1995 participants, 820, 848, and 404 had osteoporosis, sarcopenia, or osteosarcopenia, respectively. Among all types of anti-diabetic drugs, a significant protective association between osteoporosis and consumption of second-generation sulfonylureas was found; Adjusted Odd Ratio (AOR) = 0.65 ([95% CI: 0.45-0.94], p-value = 0.023). No associations were found between sarcopenia and consumption of anti-diabetic agents. A significant association was observed between using Meglitinides and the risk of osteosarcopenia; AOR = 4.98 ([95% CI: 1.5-16.55], p-value = 0.009)., Conclusion: In conclusion, a protective association between consumption of second-generation sulfonylureas and osteoporosis was found. Moreover, a positive association was found between the consumption of meglitinides and osteosarcopenia. However, to support these findings, further studies are recommended., (© 2023. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Tehran University of Medical Sciences.)

Purpose: We aimed to investigate whether visceral adipose tissue (VAT), subcutaneous adipose tissue (SAT), and skeletal muscle area (SMA) index are predictive for efficacy and hematological toxicity in ER + HER2-metastatic breast cancer (BC) patients who received CDK 4/6 inhibitors., Methods: This retrospective cohort study analyzed 52 patients who were treated with CDK 4/6 inhibitors between January 2018 and February 2021. The values of VAT, SAT, SMA indices and hematological parameters were noted before the start, at the third and sixth months of this treatment. The skeletal muscle area (SMA) and adipose tissue measurements were calculated at the level of the third lumbar vertebra. A SMA-index value of <40 cm 2 /m 2 was accepted as the threshold value for sarcopenia., Results: Patients with sarcopenia had a worse progression-free survival (PFS) compared to patients without sarcopenia (19.6 vs. 9.0 months, p = 0.005). Patients with a high-VAT-index had a better PFS (20.4 vs. 9.3 months, p = 0.033). Only the baseline low-SMA- index (HR: 3.89; 95% CI: 1.35-11.25, p = 0.012) and baseline low-VAT-index (HR: 2.15; 95% CI: 1.02-4.53, p = 0.042) had significantly related to poor PFS in univariate analyses. The low-SMA-index was the only independent factor associated with poor PFS (HR: 3.99; 95% CI: 1.38-11.54, p = 0.011). No relationship was observed between body composition parameters and grade 3-4 hematological toxicity., Conclusion: The present study supported the significance of sarcopenia and low visceral adipose tissue as potential early indicators of poor PFS in patients treated with CDK 4/6 inhibitors., (© 2024. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature.)

Introduction: Prostatic carcinoma (PC) is a frequent neoplasm in elderly patients. Although androgen deprivation is associated with survival benefits, it is also related to adverse effects such as osteoporosis, frailty, or sarcopenia, which can negatively affect the patient's quality of life. This study aims to quantify and evaluate the prevalence of osteoporosis, frailty, or sarcopenia in elderly PC patients before and after androgen deprivation. We present data from an interim analysis., Materials and Methods: PROSARC is a national (Spain) prospective observational study (May-2022-May-2025) still in progress in 2 hospitals. It includes patients with high-risk PC, aged ≥70 years, non-candidates for local treatment and scheduled to start androgen deprivation therapy. The following variables are analyzed: comorbidity, frailty (Fried frailty phenotype criteria), osteoporosis, sarcopenia (EWGSOP2), fat mass and muscle mass, before treatment and after 6 months of follow-up., Results: A 6-month follow-up was completed by 12/25 included patients (mean age, 84 years), with a high baseline prevalence of pre-frailty/frailty (67.7%), sarcopenia (66.7%) and osteoporosis (25%). Treatment did not significantly alter these variables or comorbidity. We observed changes in body mass index (p=0.666), decreased mean value of appendicular muscle mass (p=0.01) and increased percentage of fat mass (p=0.012)., Conclusion: In patients with high-risk PC, advanced age and a considerable prevalence of osteoporosis, frailty and sarcopenia, androgen deprivation (ADT; 6 months) produces decreased muscle mass without impact on the incidence of the known adverse effects of androgen deprivation., (Copyright © 2024 AEU. Published by Elsevier España, S.L.U. All rights reserved.)

Background: In the era of combination therapy, there has been limited research on body composition. Specific body composition, such as sarcopenia, possesses the potential to serve as a predictive biomarker for toxic effects and clinical response in patients with urothelial carcinoma (UC) undergoing tislelizumab combined with gemcitabine and cisplatin (T + GC)., Materials and Methods: A total of 112 UC patients who received T + GC were selected at the Affiliated Hospital of Xuzhou Medical University from April 2020 to January 2023. Baseline patient characteristics and detailed hematological parameters were collected using the electronic medical system and laboratory examinations. The computed tomography images of patients were analyzed to calculate psoas muscle mass index (PMI). We evaluated the association between sarcopenia (PMI < 4.5 cm 2 /m 2 in men; PMI < 3.3 cm 2 /m 2 in women) and both hematological toxicity and tumor response., Results: Overall, of the 112 patients (65.2% male, median age 56 years), 43 (38.4%) were defined as sarcopenia. Patients with sarcopenia were notably older (p = 0.037), more likely to have hypertension (p = 0.009), and had poorer ECOG-PS (p = 0.027). Patients with sarcopenia were more likely to develop leukopenia (OR 2.969, 95% CI 1.028-8.575, p = 0.044) after receiving at least two cycles of T + GC. However, these significant differences were not observed in thrombocytopenia and anemia. There were no significant differences in the tumor response and grade 3-4 hematological toxicity between patients with sarcopenia and those without sarcopenia., Conclusions: Patients with sarcopenia were more likely to develop leukopenia after receiving T + GC. There were no notable alterations observed in relation to anemia or thrombocytopenia. No significant difference was found between the sarcopenia group and non-sarcopenia group in terms of tumor response and grade 3-4 hematological toxicity., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

While chemotherapy treatment can be lifesaving, it also has adverse effects that negatively impact the quality of life. To investigate the effects of doxorubicin chemotherapy on body weight loss, strength and muscle mass loss, and physical function impairments, all key markers of cachexia, sarcopenia, and frailty. Seventeen C57/BL/6 mice were allocated into groups. 1) Control (n = 7): mice were exposed to intraperitoneal (i.p.) injections of saline solution. 2) Dox (n = 10): mice were exposed to doxorubicin chemotherapy cycles (total dose of 18 mg/kg divided over 15 days). The body weight loss and decreased food intake were monitored to assess cachexia. To assess sarcopenia, we measured muscle strength loss using a traction method and evaluated muscle atrophy through histology of the gastrocnemius muscle. To evaluate physical function impairments and assess frailty, we employed the open field test to measure exploratory capacity. Doxorubicin administration led to the development of cachexia, as evidenced by a significant body weight loss (13%) and a substantial decrease in food intake (34%) over a 15-day period. Furthermore, 90% of the mice treated with doxorubicin exhibited sarcopenia, characterized by a 20% reduction in traction strength (p<0,05), a 10% decrease in muscle mass, and a 33% reduction in locomotor activity. Importantly, all mice subjected to doxorubicin treatment were considered frail based on the evaluation of their overall condition and functional impairments. The proposed model holds significant characteristics of human chemotherapy treatment and can be useful to understand the intricate relationship between chemotherapy, cachexia, sarcopenia, and frailty., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist., (Copyright: © 2024 Cella et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.)

Background: Sarcopenia is characterized by decreased muscle mass and strength, posing threat to quality of life. Air pollutants are increasingly recognized as risk factors for diseases, while the relationship between the two remains to be elucidated. This study investigated whether exposure to ambient air pollution contributes to the development of sarcopenia., Methods: We employed the data from the UK Biobank with 303,031 eligible participants. Concentrations of PM 2·5 , NO 2 , and NO x were estimated. Cox proportional hazard regression models were applied to investigate the associations between pollutants and sarcopenia., Results: 30,766 probable sarcopenia cases was identified during the follow-up. We observed that exposure to PM 2.5 (HR, 1.232; 95% CI, 1.053-1.440), NO 2 (HR, 1.055; 95% CI, 1.032-1.078) and NO x (HR, 1.016; 95% CI, 1.007-1.026) were all significantly associated with increased risk for probable sarcopenia for each 10 μg/m 3 increase in pollutant concentration. In comparison with individuals in the lowest quartiles of exposure, those in the upper quartiles had significantly increased risk of probable sarcopenia. Sarcopenia-related factors, e.g., reduced lean muscle mass, diminished walking pace, and elevated muscle fat infiltration ratio, also exhibited positive associations with exposure to ambient air pollution. On the contrary, high level physical activity significantly mitigated the influence of air pollutants on the development of probable sarcopenia., Conclusions: Air pollution exposure elevated the risk of developing sarcopenia and related manifestations in a dose-dependent manner, while physical activity maintained protective under this circumstance. Efforts should be made to control air pollution and emphasize the importance of physical activity for skeletal muscle health under this circumstance., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024. Published by Elsevier Inc.)

Competing Interests: Disclosures PG is supported by National Institute on Aging grants K76AG064428 and a US Deprescribing Research Pilot grant funded by the National Institute on Aging (R24AG064025) and has received consulting fees from Sensorum Health, Agepha Pharma, Akros Pharma, Axon therapies and personal fees for medicolegal consulting and expert testimony related to heart failure.

Purpose: This study aimed to investigate the correlation between sarcopenia and adverse events (AEs) of postoperative imatinib therapy through computed tomography (CT) quantitative body composition for intermediate- and high-risk gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GISTs)., Methods: The study retrospectively analyzed the clinical data of 208 patients with intermediate- and high-risk GIST treated surgically and treated with imatinib afterward at the First Affiliated Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University between October 2011 and October 2021. Images of preoperative CT scans within 1 month were used to determine the body composition of the patients. On the basis of the L3 skeletal muscle index, patients were classified into sarcopenia and nonsarcopenia groups. In 2 groups, AEs related to imatinib were analyzed., Results: The proportion of AEs related to imatinib in the sarcopenia group was higher, and this disparity had a significant statistical significance (P = .013). Sarcopenia was significantly associated with hemoglobin reduction compared with nonsarcopenia (P = .015). There was a significant difference between the sarcopenia group and the nonsarcopenia group in the ratio of severe AEs (grades 3-4). Hemoglobin content (odds ratio [OR], 0.981; 95% CI, 0.963-1.000; P = .045), sex (OR, 0.416; 95% CI, 0.192-0.904; P = .027), and sarcopenia (OR, 5.631; 95% CI, 2.262-14.014; P < .001) were the influential factors of imatinib severe AEs in patients with intermediate- and high-risk GIST within 1 year after imatinib treatment., Conclusion: Patients with preoperative sarcopenia have a higher incidence and severity of AEs during adjuvant imatinib therapy., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare no competing interests., (Copyright © 2024. Published by Elsevier Inc.)

Background: In recent years, certain body composition measures, assessed by computed tomography (CT), have been found to be associated with chemotherapy toxicities. This review aims to explore available data on the relationship between skeletal muscle and adiposity, including visceral adipose tissue (VAT), subcutaneous adipose tissue (SAT), intramuscular and intermuscular adipose tissue and their association with chemotherapy toxicity in non-metastatic colorectal cancer (CRC) patients., Methods: A systematic literature search following PRISMA guidelines was conducted in Medline, Embase, Cochrane and Web of Science, for papers published between 2011 and 2023. The search strategy combined keywords and MESH terms relevant to 'body composition', 'chemotherapy toxicities', and 'non-metastatic colorectal cancer'., Results: Out of 3868 studies identified, six retrospective studies fulfilled the inclusion criteria with 1024 eligible patients. Low skeletal muscle mass was strongly associated with increased incidence of both chemotherapy toxicities and dose-limiting toxicity (DLT). The association of VAT, intramuscular and intermuscular adiposity was heterogeneous and inconclusive. There was no association between SAT and chemotherapy intolerance. No universal definitions or cut-offs for sarcopenia and obesity were noted. All studies utilized 2-dimensional (2D) CT slices for CT body composition assessment with varied selection on the vertebral landmark and inconsistent reporting of tissue-defining Hounsfield unit (HU) measurements., Conclusion: Low skeletal muscle is associated with chemotherapy toxicities in non-metastatic CRC. However, quality evidence on the role of adiposity is limited and heterogeneous. More studies are needed to confirm these associations with an emphasis on a more coherent body composition definition and an approach to its assessment, especially regarding sarcopenia., (© 2023 The Authors. ANZ Journal of Surgery published by John Wiley & Sons Australia, Ltd on behalf of Royal Australasian College of Surgeons.)

Environmental pollution is identified as an essential risk factor for sarcopenia. However, the effect of manganese (Mn) exposure on the prevalence of sarcopenia is not assessed. Our study investigated the correlation between blood Mn concentration and sarcopenia risk in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) from 2011 to 2018. Three statistical methods were used to assess these correlations. Mediation analysis was performed to explore the role of inflammation in Mn exposure-induced sarcopenia. Of the 4957 individuals enrolled in this study, 398 (8 %) were diagnosed with sarcopenia. We found a positive association between the log10 Mn concentration and the prevalence of sarcopenia in the logistic regression model. Moreover, heavy metals mixtures were positively correlated with the prevalence of sarcopenia, with Mn identified as the main contributor to this association in the weighted quantile sum (WQS) and Bayesian kernel machine regression (BKMR) models. Furthermore, inflammation mediated the relationship between Mn exposure and the prevalence of sarcopenia, explaining 7.29 % of the effect (odds ratio: 0.03, 0.19, P = 0.002). Thus, our study results revealed that excessive Mn exposure is a contributing factor for sarcopenia. More prospective studies are required to examine the association between Mn exposure and the prevalence of sarcopenia., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare no conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2023 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Sarcopenia has a significant impact on falls, physical function, activities of daily living, and quality of life in older adults, and its prevention and treatment are becoming increasingly important as the global population ages. In addition to primary age-related sarcopenia, activity-related sarcopenia, disease-related sarcopenia, and nutrition-related sarcopenia have been proposed as secondary sarcopenia. Polypharmacy and potentially inappropriate medication based on multiple diseases cause health problems in older patients. In some cases, drugs used for therapeutic or preventive purposes act on skeletal muscle as adverse drug reactions and induce sarcopenia. Although sarcopenia caused by these adverse drug reactions may be more common in older patients, in particular those taking many medications, drug-related sarcopenia has not yet received much attention. This review summarizes drugs that may induce sarcopenia and emphasizes the importance of drug-related sarcopenia as a secondary sarcopenia. Geriatr Gerontol Int 2024; 24: 195-203., (© 2023 Japan Geriatrics Society.)

Sarcopenia in cancer patients often negatively impacts various outcomes. Carboplatin, a first-line chemotherapy for non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), is dosed based on body weight, which doesn't account for sarcopenia. This study evaluated the association between sarcopenia and carboplatin-related toxicity in NSCLC patients. Patients with locally advanced or metastatic NSCLC treated with carboplatin were included. Toxicity events during the first two cycles of treatment were recorded. Sarcopenia was assessed using pretreatment computed tomography scans analyzed with Slice-O-Matic V4.2 software, defining sarcopenia as a skeletal muscle index (SMI) of <52.4 cm 2 /m 2 for men and <38.5 cm 2 /m 2 for women. Among 146 patients, 52% had sarcopenia. Hematological toxicity occurred in 71.2% of all patients and 77.6% of those with sarcopenia. The fat-free mass index (FFMI) was independently associated with hematological toxicity and dose-limiting toxicity (DLT), which was observed in 55.5% of patients. Sarcopenia significantly correlates with hematological toxicity and DLT during carboplatin treatment in NSCLC patients. Given its prevalence and noninvasive detection, further research is needed to understand its impact on treatment outcomes.

Background: Several studies have suggested that sarcopenia is associated with an increased treatment toxicity in patients with cancer. The aim of this study is to evaluate the relationship between sarcopenia and anthracycline-related cardiotoxicity., Methods: Patients who received anthracycline-based chemotherapy between 2014 and 2018 and had baseline abdominal CT and baseline and follow-up echocardiography after anthracycline treatment were included. European Society of Cardiology ejection fraction criteria and American Society of Echocardiography diastolic dysfunction criteria were used for definition of cardiotoxicity. Sarcopenia was defined on the basis of skeletal muscle index (SMI) and psoas muscle index (PMI) calculated on CT images at L3 and L4 vertebra levels., Results: A total of 166 patients (75 men and 91 women) were included. Sarcopenia was determined in 33 patients (19.9%) according to L3-SMI, in 17 patients (10.2%) according to L4-SMI and in 45 patients (27.1%) according to PMI. 27 patients (16.3%) developed cardiotoxicity. PMI and L3-SMI were significantly associated with an increased risk of cardiotoxicity (L3-SMI: HR=3.27, 95% CI 1.32 to 8.11, p=0.01; PMI: HR=3.71, 95% CI 1.58 to 8.73, p=0.003)., Conclusions: This is the first study demonstrating a significant association between CT-diagnosed sarcopenia and anthracycline-related cardiotoxicity. Routine CT scans performed for cancer staging may help clinicians identify high-risk patients in whom closer follow-up or cardioprotective measures should be considered., Competing Interests: Competing interests: None declared., (© Author(s) (or their employer(s)) 2023. No commercial re-use. See rights and permissions. Published by BMJ.)

Background: Dexamethasone is important in the treatment for pediatric acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) but induces muscle atrophy with negative consequences for muscle mass, muscle strength, and functional abilities. The aim of this study was to establish the effect of a dexamethasone course on sarcopenia and physical frailty in children with ALL, and to explore prognostic factors., Methods: Patients with ALL aged 3-18 years were included during maintenance therapy. Patients had a sarcopenia/frailty assessment on the first day of (T1) and on the day after (T2) a 5-day dexamethasone course. Sarcopenia was defined as low muscle strength in combination with low muscle mass. Prefrailty and frailty were defined as having two or ≥three of the following components, respectively: low muscle mass, low muscle strength, fatigue, slow walking speed, and low physical activity. Chi-squared and paired t-tests were used to assess differences between T1 and T2. Logistic regression models were estimated to explore patient- and therapy-related prognostic factors for frailty on T2., Results: We included 105 patients, 61% were boys. Median age was 5.3 years (range: 3-18.8). At T1, sarcopenia, prefrailty, and frailty were observed in respectively 2.8%, 23.5%, and 4.2% of patients. At T2, the amount of patients with frailty had increased to 17.7% (p = 0.002), whereas the number of patients with sarcopenia and prefrailty remained similar. Higher ASMM (odds ratio [OR]: 0.49, 95% CI: 0.28-0.83), stronger handgrip strength (OR: 0.41, 95% CI: 0.22-0.77) and more physical activity minutes per day (OR: 0.98, 95% CI: 0.96-0.99) decreased the risk of frailty at T2. Slower walking performance (OR: 2, 95% CI: 1.2-3.39) increased the risk. Fatigue levels at T1 were not associated with frailty at T2., Conclusion: Physical frailty increased strikingly after a 5-days dexamethasone course in children with ALL. Children with poor physical state at start of the dexamethasone course were more likely to be frail after the course., (© 2023 The Authors. Cancer Medicine published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

Background: Sarcopenia is an age-related, multifactorial syndrome. Previous studies have shown that air pollutants are associated with inflammation and oxidative stress. However, the association between long-term exposure to air pollution and sarcopenia is not completely understood., Methods: The Taiwan National Health Research Database (NHIRD) contains medical records of almost all Taiwanese residents. Daily air pollution data collected by the Taiwan Environmental Protection Agency was used to analyze concentrations of sulfur oxide (SO 2 ), carbon monoxide (CO), nitrogen monoxide (NO), nitrogen dioxide (NO 2 ), and particulate matter (PM 2.5 , PM 10 ). The databases were merged according to the insurants' living area and the location of the air quality monitoring station. We categorized the pollutants into quartiles (Q1, Q2, Q3, and Q4)., Results: Our study population consisted of 286,044 patients, among whom 54.9% were female and 45.1% were male. Compared to Q1 levels of pollutants, Q4 levels of SO 2 (adjusted hazard ratio [aHR] = 8.43; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 7.84, 9.07); CO (aHR = 3.03; 95%CI = 2.83, 3.25); NO (aHR = 3.47; 95%CI = 3.23, 3.73); NO 2 (aHR = 3.72; 95%CI = 3.48, 3.98); PM 2.5 (aHR = 21.9; 95% CI = 19.7, 24.5) and PM 10 (aHR = 15.6; 95%CI = 14.1, 17.4) increased risk of sarcopenia., Conclusions: Our findings indicated a significantly increased risk of sarcopenia in both male and female residents exposed to high levels of air pollutants., (© 2023. The Author(s).)

Background: This study aimed to comprehensively evaluate the efficacy and toxicity of afatinib in patients with sarcopenia, an important prognostic factor for treatment efficacy and toxicity in patients with cancer., Methods: The clinical features of patients with advanced NSCLC treated with frontline afatinib between 2014 and 2018 at a medical center in Taiwan were retrospectively reviewed. Sarcopenia was evaluated based on the total cross-sectional area of skeletal muscles assessed by computed tomography (CT) imaging at the L3 level. Baseline characteristics, response rates, survival rates, and adverse events (AEs) were compared between sarcopenic and nonsarcopenic patients., Results: A total of 176 patients evaluated for sarcopenia by CT and treated with afatinib were enrolled in the current study. Sarcopenia was significantly associated with good performance status, low body mass index (BMI), low body surface area (BSA), and low total mass area (TMA). Sarcopenia did not influence the response rate (69.2% vs. 72.0%, p = 0.299), progression-free survival (median 15.9 vs. 14.9 months, p = 0.791), or overall survival (median 26.5 vs. 27.2 months, p = 0.441). However, BSA ≤ 1.7 and the 40 mg afatinib dose were associated with dose reduction. TMA was the only independent factor for afatinib discontinuation due to AEs., Conclusion: Sarcopenia was not associated with treatment efficacy or toxicity among patients with NSCLC harboring common mutations treated with afatinib, indicating sarcopenic patients should not be excluded from afatinib treatment. Other factors, such as BSA and TMA, were associated with dose reduction and afatinib discontinuation, respectively, which may require additional evaluations in future studies., (© 2023 The Authors. Thoracic Cancer published by China Lung Oncology Group and John Wiley & Sons Australia, Ltd.)

The aim of this study was to examine the relationship between lean body mass (LBM) and the incidence and severity of neutropenia in patients with malignant tumors from Northern China who have received nanoparticle albumin-bound paclitaxel. Twenty-six patients with pathologically confirmed malignant tumors were prospectively included in this study. These 26 patients were divided into Group A (sarcopenia) and Group B (nonsarcopenia). Group A comprised 50% (13/26) of the patients, while Group B comprised the other 50% (13/26). There was no statistically significant difference between both groups in terms of body surface area (P = .052). The incidence of neutropenia in Group A was 76.9% compared to 61.5% in Group B (P = .0673). The incidence of Grade 3 and severe neutropenia was 76.9% versus 61.5% in Groups A and B, respectively (P = .645). These 26 patients were divided into Groups 1 and 2 based on the administered nab-paclitaxel dose per kilogram of LBM, with both groups receiving a body surface area dose of 260 mg/m 2 . Group 1 received a nab-paclitaxel dose of 14.19 mg/kg of LBM, whereas Group 2 received 11.37 mg/kg of LBM. In Group 1, the incidence of neutropenia was 71.4%, whereas it was 66.7% in Group 2. Grade 3 or higher neutropenia incidence was 28.6% in Group 1 versus 16.7% in Group 2. Patients with sarcopenia in northern China experienced a higher incidence of severe neutropenia after receiving nab-paclitaxel than patients without sarcopenia. Higher drug dose intensity per unit of LBM may be a contributing factor., (© 2023, The American College of Clinical Pharmacology.)

In patients with prostate cancer scheduled for systemic treatment, being overweight is linked to prolonged overall survival (OS), whereas sarcopenia is associated with shorter OS. We investigated fat-related and body composition parameters in patients undergoing prostate-specific membrane antigen (PSMA)-directed radioligand therapy (RLT) to assess their predictive value for OS. Methods: Body mass index (BMI, in kg/m 2 ) and CT-derived body composition parameters (total, subcutaneous, visceral fat area, and psoas muscle area at the L3-L4 level) were determined for 171 patients scheduled for PSMA-directed RLT. After normalization for stature, the psoas muscle index was used to define sarcopenia. Outcome analysis was performed using Kaplan-Meier curves and Cox regression including fat-related and other clinical parameters (Gleason score, C-reactive protein [CRP], lactate dehydrogenase [LDH], hemoglobin, and prostate-specific antigen levels). The Harrell C-index was used for goodness-of-fit analysis. Results: Sixty-five patients (38%) had sarcopenia, and 98 patients (57.3%) had increased BMI. Relative to the 8-mo OS in normal-weight men (BMI < 25), overweight men (25 ≥ BMI > 30) and obese men (BMI ≥ 30) achieved a longer OS of 14 mo (hazard ratio [HR], 0.63; 95% CI, 0.40-0.99; P = 0.03) and 13 mo (HR, 0.47; 95% CI, 0.29-0.77; P = 0.004), respectively. Sarcopenia showed no impact on OS (11 vs. 12 mo; HR, 1.4; 95% CI, 0.91-2.1; P = 0.09). Most of the body composition parameters were tightly linked to OS on univariable analyses, with the highest C-index for BMI. In multivariable analysis, a higher BMI (HR, 0.91; 95% CI, 0.86-0.97; P = 0.006), lower CRP (HR, 1.09; 95% CI, 1.03-1.14; P < 0.001), lower LDH (HR, 1.08; 95% CI, 1.03-1.14; P < 0.001), and longer interval between initial diagnosis and RLT (HR, 0.95; 95% CI, 0.91-0.99; P = 0.02) were significant predictors of OS. Conclusion: Increased fat reserves assessed by BMI, CRP, LDH, and interval between initial diagnosis and RLT, but not CT-derived body composition parameters, were relevant predictors for OS. As BMI can be altered, future research should investigate whether a high-calorie diet before or during PSMA RLT may improve OS., (© 2023 by the Society of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging.)

Background: Although proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) play a pivotal role in the prevention and treatment of gastric acid-related diseases and gastrointestinal adverse events caused by antiplatelet therapies, the safety of long-term use of PPIs has been questioned., Objective: The aim of this study was to determine the effects of use of PPIs on muscle mass and bone mineral density in heart failure (HF) patients., Methods: This was a single-center, ambispective (combined retrospective and prospective), observational study. HF patients (n = 747; 72 years of age; males, 54%) who received a dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry scan were enrolled. Muscle wasting was defined as appendicular skeletal muscle mass index (ASMI) < 7.0 kg/m 2 in males and <5.4 kg/m 2 in females. Propensity scores for the use of PPIs were calculated using a multivariate logistic regression model to minimize selection bias., Results: Before propensity score matching, ASMI was significantly lower in patients receiving PPIs than in patients not receiving PPIs, resulting in a higher prevalence of muscle wasting in the PPI group. Such a relationship between use of PPIs and muscle wasting remained after propensity score matching. In multivariate Cox regression analyses, use of PPIs was independently associated with presence of muscle wasting (hazard ratio 1.68, 95% confidence interval 1.05-2.69) after adjustment for established risk factors of sarcopenia. On the other hand, there were no differences in bone mineral density between the PPI group and the no-PPI group., Conclusion: Use of PPIs is associated with a high risk of muscle wasting in HF patients. Caution is warranted when long-term PPI treatment is performed in sarcopenic HF patients and HF patients with several risk factors for muscle wasting., (© 2023. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature Switzerland AG.)

Sarcopenia is defined as loss of muscle mass and strength due to aging. Recent studies show that sarcopenia may improve via the gut-muscle axis, suggesting that gut health may affect muscle phenotypes. In this study, we aimed to investigate the ability of Lactobacillus rhamnosus JY02 as a probiotic strain isolated from kimchi to alleviate sarcopenia. L. rhamnosus JY02-conditioned medium (CM) reduced dexamethasone (DEX)-induced myotube diameter atrophy and expression of muscle degradation markers (MuRF1 and atrogin-1) in C2C12 cells. The amelioration of sarcopenia was investigated by measuring body composition (lean mass), hand grip strength, myofibril size (using histological analysis), and mRNA and protein expression of muscle-related factors in a DEX-induced mouse model. The results of these analyses showed that L. rhamnosus JY02 supplementation promoted the production of muscle-enhancement markers (MHC Iβ, MHC IIα, and Myo-D) and reduced both the production of muscle degradation markers and the symptoms of muscle atrophy (loss of lean mass and muscle strength). We also found decreased levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines (IL-6, IFN- γ) and increased levels of anti-inflammatory cytokines (IL-10) in the serum of DEX+JY02-administered mice compared to those in DEX-treated mice. Overall, these results suggest that L. rhamnosus JY02 is a potent probiotic supplement that prevents sarcopenia by suppressing muscle atrophy.

Purpose: Evaluation of body composition and sarcopenia status could provide evidence for more sensitive prediction of chemotherapy toxicities and support mitigation of the negative impacts of chemotherapy. This study evaluated associations among hematologic toxicities, sarcopenia, and body composition change in breast cancer patients undergoing neoadjuvant chemotherapy., Methods: This retrospective cohort study employed data from 298 breast cancer patients undergoing neoadjuvant chemotherapy. We evaluated two abdominal computed tomography scans before and after neoadjuvant chemotherapy to identify body composition change. As hematologic toxicities, severe (grade 3 or 4) anemia, neutropenia, and thrombocytopenia were assessed throughout the treatment period using Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events (version 5.0)., Results: Participants experienced severe neutropenia (23.5%), anemia (7.1%), and thrombocytopenia (0.7%) during chemotherapy. After chemotherapy, the group with sarcopenia had double the anemia prevalence of the group without sarcopenia (p < 0.001). The group with anemia had significantly decreased skeletal muscle index (SMI, p = .0013) and subcutaneous fat index (SFI, p = .0008). Almost 50% of the sarcopenia group treated with an AC-T (weekly) regimen (combined anthracycline and cyclophosphamide followed by a weekly taxane) had neutropenia. Multiple logistic regression showed that the AC-T (weekly) group had higher neutropenia prevalence than other regimen groups., Conclusion: Our findings of higher anemia prevalence in breast cancer patients with sarcopenia and decreased SMI and SFI after neoadjuvant chemotherapy provide evidence of a relationship between anemia and body composition change. Early screening and combined consideration of body composition change, sarcopenia status, and chemotherapy regimen could improve clinical outcomes., (© 2023. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature.)

Background: As the world experiences a demographic shift towards aging populations, there will be a significant surge in the number of sarcopenia patients, along with an unprecedented expansion in the associated economic burden. The multitudinous risk factors for sarcopenia have been reported, but evidence for air pollution remains rare., Methods: This cross-sectional study employed multi-stage random sampling to select 1592 participants over 40 years of age from Hubei Province. Daily mean concentrations of air pollutants were collected ChinaHighAirPollutants dataset. Unconditional logistic regression models were utilized to investigate the associations between air pollution and sarcopenia., Results: For each 1 μg/m 3 increase in PM 2.5 , PM 10 , SO 2 and O 3 , there were corresponding elevations of 11.1% [95% confidence interval (CI): 4.9, 17.7], 4.3% (95% CI: 1.4, 7.2), 22.6% (95% CI: 7.2, 40.1) and 9.3% (95% CI: 0.7, 18.7) in the risk of sarcopenia, respectively. The associations of PM 2.5 /PM 10 /O 3 -sarcopenia were more pronounced in females, with corresponding odds ratios (ORs) and 95% CIs of 1.179 (1.062, 1.310), 1.079 (1.027, 1.135) and 1.180 (1.026, 1.358), separately. Additionally, individuals residing in rural areas were more susceptible to the effects of PM 2.5 and PM 10 . Current/ever smokers or drinkers were also at higher risk of developing sarcopenia caused by PM 2.5 , PM 10 and O 3 exposure. Mixture analyses show a surge of 48.4% (95% CI: 3.6%, 112.5%) in the likelihood of suffering from sarcopenia, and the joint impacts of the air pollution were mainly driven by PM 2.5 ., Conclusions: Our results produced evidence for a relationship between air pollution exposure and the increased prevalence of sarcopenia in China. Public health and relevant departments should make efforts to prevent sarcopenia, particularly in China experiencing rapid demographic aging., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2023 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Background: Skeletal muscle generates force and movements and maintains posture. Under pathological conditions, muscle fibers suffer an imbalance in protein synthesis/degradation. This event causes muscle mass loss and decreased strength and muscle function, a syndrome known as sarcopenia. Recently, our laboratory described secondary sarcopenia in a chronic cholestatic liver disease (CCLD) mouse model. Interestingly, the administration of ursodeoxycholic acid (UDCA), a hydrophilic bile acid, is an effective therapy for cholestatic hepatic alterations. However, the effect of UDCA on skeletal muscle mass and functionality has never been evaluated, nor the possible involved mechanisms., Methods: We assessed the ability of UDCA to generate sarcopenia in C57BL6 mice and develop a sarcopenic-like phenotype in C 2 C 12 myotubes and isolated muscle fibers. In mice, we measured muscle strength by a grip strength test, muscle mass by bioimpedance and mass for specific muscles, and physical function by a treadmill test. We also detected the fiber's diameter and content of sarcomeric proteins. In C 2 C 12 myotubes and/or isolated muscle fibers, we determined the diameter and troponin I level to validate the cellular effect. Moreover, to evaluate possible mechanisms, we detected puromycin incorporation, p70S6K, and 4EBP1 to evaluate protein synthesis and ULK1, LC3 I, and II protein levels to determine autophagic flux. The mitophagosome-like structures were detected by transmission electron microscopy., Results: UDCA induced sarcopenia in healthy mice, evidenced by decreased strength, muscle mass, and physical function, with a decline in the fiber's diameter and the troponin I protein levels. In the C 2 C 12 myotubes, we observed that UDCA caused a reduction in the diameter and content of MHC, troponin I, puromycin incorporation, and phosphorylated forms of p70S6K and 4EBP1. Further, we detected increased levels of phosphorylated ULK1, the LC3II/LC3I ratio, and the number of mitophagosome-like structures. These data suggest that UDCA induces a sarcopenic-like phenotype with decreased protein synthesis and autophagic flux., Conclusions: Our results indicate that UDCA induces sarcopenia in mice and sarcopenic-like features in C 2 C 12 myotubes and/or isolated muscle fibers concomitantly with decreased protein synthesis and alterations in autophagic flux., (© 2023. The Author(s).)

Background: Imbalanced body composition is mechanistically connected to dysregulated immune activities. Whether overweight/obesity or sarcopenia has an impact on treatment results in cancer patients undergoing immune checkpoint inhibitor (ICI) therapy is currently under debate. We aimed to answer if survival rates and occurrence of immune-related adverse events (irAEs) were different in obese or sarcopenic patients., Methods: A systematic search was conducted in PubMed, Embase and CENTRAL for all records published until July 2022 using specific search terms for body composition in combination with terms for ICI regimens. Two authors screened independently. All studies that reported on body mass index or sarcopenia measures were selected for further analysis., Results: 48 studies reporting on overweight/obesity comprising of 19,767 patients, and 32 studies reporting on sarcopenia comprising of 3193 patients fulfilled the inclusion criteria. In the entire cohort, overweight/obesity was significantly associated with better progression-free survival (PFS; p = 0.009) and overall survival (OS; p <0.00001). Subgroup analyses stratified by sex revealed that overweight/obese males had the strongest survival benefit (PFS: p = 0.05; OS: p = 0.0005), and overweight/obese female patients did not show any. However, overweight/obese patients of both sexes had a higher risk to develop irAEs grade ≥3 (p = 0.0009). Sarcopenic patients showed significantly shorter PFS (p <0.0001) and OS (p <0.0001). The frequency of irAEs did not differ between sarcopenic and non-sarcopenic patients., Conclusion: This meta-analysis suggests that body composition is associated in a sex-specific manner with survival and irAEs in cancer patients undergoing ICI treatment., Competing Interests: Conflict of interest statement PT, SG, IM, EK and DMCDS do not report any COI. MB received honoraria from, was part of speaker's bureau of and consulted for MSD Sharpe & Dohme, Novartis, Roche, Kite/Gilead, BMS/Celgene, Astellas, Mologen and Miltenyi. ST received honoraria from and consulted for Amgen, BMS/Celgene, GSK, Janssen, Pfizer, Sanofi and Takeda., (Copyright © 2023 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Background: In patients with cancer, sarcopenia is associated with treatment related complications, treatment cessation, poor quality of life and reduced overall survival. Despite this, there is limited knowledge about changes in skeletal muscle mass during chemotherapy. The aim of this systematic review and meta-analysis was to investigate the change of skeletal muscle mass and sarcopenia during chemotherapy treatment among patients with lung cancer., Methods: A systematic literature search was conducted in three databases, PubMed, EMBASE and Web of Science. Observational studies with patients with lung cancer were eligible for inclusion if skeletal muscle mass was measured before and after receiving chemotherapy treatment., Results: Ten cohort studies with a total of 867 participants met the inclusion criteria. During 5.2 ± 2.9 months of chemotherapy treatment, patients with lung cancer experienced a significant loss of skeletal muscle mass with a standardized mean difference (SMD) of: -0.25 (95% CI -0.47 to -0.03). The pretreatment prevalence of sarcopenia varied across studies from 35% to 74%. Only one study reported prevalence of sarcopenia both before and after chemotherapy treatment with an increase from 35% to 59%., Conclusion: The present data demonstrate a marked loss of skeletal muscle mass in patients with lung cancer undergoing chemotherapy treatment, as well as a high prevalence of sarcopenia. As sarcopenia is associated with poor clinical outcomes, it seems important to include and use assessments of skeletal muscle mass in clinical practice to identify patients in need for interventions. Moreover, interventional studies to hinder development of sarcopenia are needed.

Creatine supplementation has been one of the most studied and useful ergogenic nutritional support for athletes to improve performance, strength, and muscular mass. Over time creatine has shown beneficial effects in several human disease conditions. This review aims to summarise the current evidence for creatine supplementation in advanced chronic liver disease and its complications, primarily in sarcopenic cirrhotic patients, because this condition is known to be associated with poor prognosis and outcomes. Although creatine supplementation in chronic liver disease seems to be barely investigated and not studied in human patients, its potential efficacy on chronic liver disease is indirectly highlighted in animal models of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, bringing beneficial effects in the fatty liver. Similarly, encephalopathy and fatigue seem to have beneficial effects. Creatine supplementation has demonstrated effects in sarcopenia in the elderly with and without resistance training suggesting a potential role in improving this condition in patients with advanced chronic liver disease. Creatine supplementation could address several critical points of chronic liver disease and its complications. Further studies are needed to support the clinical burden of this hypothesis.

Determine the association of lean body mass (LBM) on the incidence and severity of peripheral neurotoxicity in cancer patients who received nab-paclitaxel alone or combined with cisplatin or carboplatin. This prospective clinical study examined 32 cancer patients classified into a sarcopenia or non-sarcopenia group according to the Asian L3 vertebra skeletal muscle index (L3-SMI) at Ordos Central Hospital (China) from December 2020-2021, to compare the incidence and severity of neurotoxicity and analizing the relationship between nab-paclitaxel dose per kg LBM and neurotoxicity. There were 18 patients (56.25%) in the sarcopenia group and 14 (43.75%) in the non-sarcopenia group. The incidences of peripheral and severe neurotoxicity were higher in the sarcopenia group (both P  < 0.05). Patients in three different body surface area (BSA) groups received the same nab-paclitaxel dose (260 mg/m 2 BSA). However, when patients were divided into three groups according to LBM, they received different doses (low-LBM: 15.18 mg/kg LBM, middle-LBM: 12.82 mg/kg LBM, and high-LBM: 11.14 mg/kg LBM). The incidence of grade-C or higher neurotoxicity of these three groups was 61.54% (8/13), 20.00% (1/5), and 11.11% (1/9). Sarcopenia and a higher dose of nab-paclitaxel per kg LBM were associated with peripheral and severe neurotoxicity. Chemotherapy dosing based on body composition may reduce neurotoxicity in patients receiving nab-paclitaxel.Registration number of Clinical Trial: ChiCTR2000040918.

Background: In older adults, skeletal muscle mass is an important factor for health and prognosis. The loss of SMM during neoadjuvant therapy affects the prognosis of patients with locally advanced esophageal cancer. However, information is limited regarding this possibility in older patients. This study aimed to establish the prognostic impact of SMM loss during neoadjuvant chemotherapy on older patients with locally advanced esophageal cancer., Methods: This was a single-center retrospective cohort study. Patients age 65 years or older had undergone R0 curative esophagectomy after NAC. The skeletal muscle mass index before and after NAC was calculated from computed tomography images. The percentage change in the SMI during NAC (SMI%) was calculated from the SMI before and after NAC., Results: The study analyzed 150 patients with a mean age of 71.1 ± 3.7 years. The mean value of the SMI was 42.7 ± 7.2 cm 2 /m 2 before NAC, and the SMI% was - 6.4% ± 5.9%. The cutoff of SMI% for overall survival was defined by the log-rank test as - 12%. The Cox proportional hazard model showed that major loss of the SMI (≥ 12%) significantly influenced OS (hazard ratio, 2.490; 95% confidence interval, 1.121-5.529; p = 0.025) independently of age, sex, pathologic T and N factors, or treatment regimen., Conclusions: Major SMI loss has an impact on OS after R0 curative esophagectomy for older patients with locally advanced esophageal cancer., (© 2022. Society of Surgical Oncology.)

Background: Low muscle mass, or sarcopenia, predicts poorer treatment outcomes in breast cancer. Neoadjuvant chemotherapy is the main treatment to improve surgical outcomes for breast cancer, yet few studies have assessed the relationships between different chemotherapy regimens and sarcopenia. This study compared body composition change between two neoadjuvant chemotherapy regimens: AC-T (anthracyclines and cyclophosphamide followed by a taxane) and TCHP (docetaxel, carboplatin, trastuzumab, and pertuzumab)., Methods: This study included 298 patients with breast cancer who received neoadjuvant chemotherapy between 2017 and 2020 at one university hospital. Body composition was assessed by computed tomography. Multiple linear regression was performed to examine predictors of SMI change., Results: Patients receiving TCHP showed a significant mean skeletal muscle index (SMI) decrease of 1.6 cm 2 /m 2 (SD = 3.5, p < .001); patients receiving AC-T showed no significant change in mean SMI. The TCHP group also showed significantly decreased visceral and subcutaneous fat mass, while the AC-T group showed increases in both. The TCHP group had significantly more patients with newly diagnosed sarcopenia after neoadjuvant chemotherapy than the AC-T group (12% vs 1%, respectively). Chemotherapy regimen was the only significant predictor of muscle mass loss, and the TCHP group's mean SMI decrease was 3.124 greater than that of the AC-T group (p = .015)., Conclusions: Patients receiving TCHP have a higher risk of muscle mass loss than those receiving AC-T. Considering the severe SMI decline observed in the TCHP group, further prospective studies are called for to examine treatment-induced sarcopenia and its relationship to body composition., (Copyright © 2022 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.)

Introduction: Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is an autoimmune disease, characterized by chronic and systemic inflammation. Besides, it is known that RA patients may present several comorbidities, such as sarcopenia, a condition where patients present both muscle mass and muscle quality impairment. RA treatment is mostly pharmacological and consists in controlling systemic inflammation and disease activity. Despite that, the effect of pharmacological treatment on sarcopenia is not well characterized., Objective: To summarize the effects of disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs (DMARDs) on skeletal muscle tissue in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients., Methods: A systematic review of randomized clinical trials and observational studies was conducted using MEDLINE, Embase, Cochrane Library, and Web of Science. We selected studies with rheumatoid arthritis patients treated with disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs (DMARDs) that analyzed muscle mass parameters such as lean mass and appendicular lean mass. Methodological quality was assessed using the Newcastle-Ottawa Quality Assessment Scale. Standardized mean difference (SMD) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) were set. A meta-analysis of observational studies was performed using the R software, and we considered significant statistics when p < 0.05., Results: Nine studies were included in this systematic review. In the meta-analysis, DMARD treatment had no positive difference (p = 0.60) in lean mass. In the same way, in the appendicular lean mass parameter, our results showed that DMARDs did not have changes between baseline and post-treatment analysis (p = 0.93)., Conclusion: There is no evidence of a significant effect of DMARD therapy, either synthetic or biological, on muscle mass. However, this association should be investigated with more studies., (© 2022. The Author(s).)

Background: Benzo[a]pyrene (BaP), a toxic carcinogen, is associated with various adverse effects but is rarely discussed in muscle-related disorders. This study investigated in vitro and in vivo effects triggered by BaP exposure in muscles and hypothesized that exposure might induce conditions similar to sarcopenia due to the shared mechanism of oxidative stress. In vitro experiments used C2C12 mouse myoblasts to examine effects induced by BaP exposure in control (untreated) and BaP-treated (10 µM/ml) muscle cells. An established TNF-α-treated sarcopenia model was utilized to verify our results. In vivo experiments compared immunohistochemical staining of sarcopenia-related markers in rats exposed to clean air and polluted air., Results: In C2C12 cells, after 2-72 h of BaP exposure, elevated mRNA and protein expressions were observed in aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR) and cytochrome P450 1A1, subsequently in ROS (NOX2 and NOX4) production, inflammatory cytokines (IL-6, TNF-α, and NF-kB), and proteins mediating apoptotic cell death (caspase-3 and PARP). Two myokines also altered mRNA and protein expressions akin to changes in sarcopenia, namely decreased irisin levels and increased myostatin levels. In addition, N-acetylcysteine, a well-known antioxidant, led to decrease in oxidative markers induced by BaP. The validation by TNF-α-treated sarcopenia model revealed comparable biological responses in either TNF-α or BaP treated C2C12 cells. In vivo experiments with rats exposed to air pollution showed increased expression of BaP, AhR, 8-hydroxydeoxyguanosine, and myostatin and decreased irisin expression in immunohistochemical staining., Conclusions: Our results suggest that BaP exerts deleterious effects on the muscle, leading to conditions indicative of sarcopenia. Antioxidant supplementation may be a treatment option for BaP-induced sarcopenia, but further validation studies are needed., (Copyright © 2022 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Aging-related sarcopenia is currently the most common sarcopenia. The main manifestations are skeletal muscle atrophy, replacement of muscle fibers with fat and fibrous tissue. Excessive fibrosis can impair muscle regeneration and function. Lysyl oxidase-like 2 (LOXL2) has previously been reported to be involved in the development of various tissue fibrosis. Here, we investigated the effects of LOXL2 inhibitor on D-galactose (D-gal)-induced skeletal muscle fibroblast cells and mice. Our molecular and physiological studies show that treatment with LOXL2 inhibitor can alleviate senescence, fibrosis, and increased production of reactive oxygen species in fibroblasts caused by D-gal. These effects are related to the inhibition of the TGF-β1/p38 MAPK pathway. Furthermore, in vivo, mice treatment with LOXL2 inhibitor reduced D-gal-induced skeletal muscle fibrosis, partially enhanced skeletal muscle mass and strength and reduced redox balance disorder. Taken together, these data indicate the possibility of using LOXL2 inhibitors to prevent aging-related sarcopenia, especially with significant fibrosis., (© 2022 The Authors. Aging Cell published by Anatomical Society and John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

Background: While recent evidence has suggested that sarcopenia could predict chemotoxicity, its association with chemotherapy-triggered interstitial lung disease (ILD) exacerbations has yet to be investigated. Thus, the present study sought to determine whether sarcopenia could predict ILD exacerbations and overall survival (OS) in patients with ILD-complicated non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC)., Methods: From January 2010 to July 2020, 74 patients with ILD-complicated NSCLC who received chemotherapy were retrospectively investigated. After categorizing patients according to the presence or absence of sarcopenia based on the psoas muscle index, ILD exacerbation rates and OS were evaluated., Results: Among the patients in the study, 39 were included in the sarcopenia group. Moreover, 17 (22.9%) patients developed ILD exacerbations, with the sarcopenia and nonsarcopenia groups having an exacerbation rate of 33.3% and 11.4%, respectively (p = 0.025). Multivariate analysis identified sarcopenia as an independent predictor of ILD exacerbations (p = 0.039). Furthermore, patients with sarcopenia demonstrated a significantly shorter median OS compared to those without the same (9.2 vs. 13.3 months; p = 0.029)., Conclusions: Sarcopenia predicted chemotherapy-triggered ILD exacerbation and OS in patients with ILD-complicated NSCLC, suggesting its utility in determining treatment approaches., (© 2021 The Authors. Thoracic Cancer published by China Lung Oncology Group and John Wiley & Sons Australia, Ltd.)

Introduction: In 2019, The EWGSOP2 group made updates on the definition and diagnosis of sarcopenia. The aim of this study is to determine the possible risk factors for chemotherapy dose-limiting toxicity (DLT)., Methods: Newly diagnosed gastrointestinal (GI) cancer patients were included in this prospective observational study. Chemotherapy DLTs were recorded in patients receiving platinum-based therapy. The patients were divided into two groups according to the current sarcopenia criteria., Results: 75 patients were included in the final analysis. Chemotherapy DLT occurred in 52% (n = 39) of all patients who received platinum-based chemotherapy. DLT rates were 78.9% and 42.9% in sarcopenic and non-sarcopenic patients, respectively (p = 0.007). According to the results of the multivariate analysis, the only sarcopenia was found as a statistically significant risk factor for DLT., Conclusion: Assessment of sarcopenia evaluated with the current EWGSOP2 diagnostic criteria is useful in predicting chemotherapy DLT development in patients with a diagnosis of GI cancer. In the future, current EWGSOP2 recommendations should be considered while designing a study investigating the correlation between sarcopenia and chemotoxicity., (© 2021. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to European Geriatric Medicine Society.)

Aim: The significance of sarcopenia in cancers has been widely recognized. However, few studies have focused on chronological changes in sarcopenia in cancer patients. This study aimed to clarify the clinical significance of changes in the psoas muscle area before and after preoperative chemotherapy., Methods: This study included 39 patients who underwent gastrectomy followed by preoperative chemotherapy for advanced gastric cancer between January 2010 and December 2016 in our hospital. The psoas muscle area was measured at the umbilical level before and after chemotherapy, and the relationship between its chronological changes and the long-term prognosis was examined., Results: Patients were classified into two groups according to changes in the psoas muscle area before and after preoperative chemotherapy: remarkable muscle depletion and normal groups. No significant differences were observed in clinicopathological factors. Notably, the remarkable muscle depletion group included significantly more male patients (P = .018) and showed a high weight loss rate (P < .001). Although no significant difference was observed in the recurrence-free survival between the two groups (P = .484), overall survival was significantly worse in the remarkable muscle depletion group (P < .001). Multivariate analysis for prognosis revealed that pathological stage III or higher (P = .022) and decreased psoas muscle area (P = .038) were independent prognostic factors., Conclusions: The present findings suggest that psoas muscle depletion during preoperative chemotherapy is a prognostic factor for poor long-term outcomes in patients who underwent gastrectomy followed by preoperative chemotherapy for advanced gastric cancer., (© 2021 The Authors. Asia-Pacific Journal of Clinical Oncology published by John Wiley & Sons Australia, Ltd.)

Background: Sarcopenia is defined by a loss of muscle strength associated to a decrease in skeletal muscle mass. Ageing greatly contributes to sarcopenia as may many other factors such as cancer or androgen deprivation therapies (ADT). This cohort study aims to evaluate (1) the prevalence of muscle disorders and sarcopenia in older patients before initiation of intermediate to high risk prostate cancer treatment with ADT and radiotherapy, and (2) the occurrence and/or aggravation of muscle disorders and sarcopenia at the end of cancer treatment., Methods: This cohort study is monocentric and prospective. The primary objectives are to determine the risk factor of sarcopenia prevalence and to study the relationship between ADT and sarcopenia incidence, in patients 70 years and older with histologically proven localized or locally advanced prostate cancer, addressed to a geriatrician (G8 score ≤14) for comprehensive geriatric assessment (CGA) in Marseille University Hospital. Secondary objectives encompass, measurement of sarcopenia clinical criteria along prostate oncological treatment; evaluation of the quality of life of patients with sarcopenia; evaluation of the impact of socio-behavioral and anthropological factors on sarcopenia evolution and incidence; finally the evaluation of the impact of ADT exposure on sarcopenia. Sarcopenia prevalence was estimated to be between 20 and 30%, therefore the study will enroll 200 patients., Discussion: The current guidelines for older patients with prostate cancer recommend a pelvic radiotherapy treatment associated to variable duration (6 to 36 months) of ADT. However ADT impacts muscle mass and could exacerbate the risks of sarcopenia. Our study intends to assess the specific effect of ADT on sarcopenia incidence and/or worsening as well as to estimate sarcopenia prevalence in this population. The results of this cohort trial will lead to a better understanding of sarcopenia prevalence and incidence necessary to further elaborate a prevention plan., Trial Registration: The protocol was registered to the French drug and device regulation agency under the number 2019-A02319-48, before beginning the study (11/12/2019). The ClinicalTrials.gov identifier is NCT04484246, registration on the ClinicalTrials.gov ( https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT04484246 )., (© 2022. The Author(s).)

Introduction: The advent of immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) such as nivolumab has enabled outcomes for metastatic renal cell carcinoma (mRCC) to be improved. However, only around 25% of patients respond to these therapies without being able to formally identify them. Data on relevant predictive markers are still lacking. The obesity paradox has been shown as a relevant prognostic marker in mRCC with better outcomes for obese patients. Nevertheless, the impact of weight variation and the presence of sarcopenia during ICI treatment is not known for now., Methods: In a retrospective study, weight and its variations were collected at first day of ICI and at 6 weeks of treatment. Scanographic imagery was used to define the skeletal muscle index (SMI) as a reflect of sarcopenia. The impact of these parameters as predictive and prognostic factors for mRCC with nivolumab was evaluated., Results: A higher body mass index (BMI) at baseline was significantly associated with response at the first scan (p = 0.036). Longer overall survival (OS) was observed for patients with a weight gain compared to the group with weight loss (p = 0.00028). Median OS for sarcopenic patients was 17.2 months and 31.6 months for the non-sarcopenic group of patients, but there was no statistical difference., Conclusion: This trial showed that a higher BMI and weight gain during nivolumab treatment were good predictive markers for outcomes in mRCC with nivolumab. Sarcopenia and variations in SMI could thus be of interest, but further studies are required., (© 2021 S. Karger AG, Basel.)

Phthalates have been extensively detected in environmental and biological matrices. Exposure to phthalates is implicated in various human diseases. In this study, we conducted a cross-sectional study to determine whether urinary phthalate metabolite concentrations were correlated with prevalence of sarcopenia in US adult population. We included 3562 participants with detailed information on skeletal muscle mass and urinary phthalate metabolites based on National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) 1999-2006 data. A total of 7 main phthalate metabolites were analyzed in the urine sample of each participant. Appendicular skeletal muscle mass (ASM) was measured using dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry. Multivariable linear regression models were conducted following adjustment for multiple covariates. ASM adjusted by body mass index (ASM/BMI) was calculated, and sarcopenia was defined as the lowest quintile for ASM/BMI value. Compared with participants in quartile 1, those in quartile 2 of urinary mono-n-butyl phthalate (MnBP) and quartile 4 of urinary monobenzyl phthalate (MBzP) had decreased ASM/BMI. Urinary MnBP in quartile 4, as well as urinary MBzP in quartile 2, was shown to be significantly correlated with higher sarcopenia prevalence. In subgroup analysis, negative association of MBzP with ASM/BMI was observed in both males and females, while this negative association was only observed in males for MnBP. Females with higher urinary monoethyl phthalate (MEP) concentrations had higher sarcopenia risk. Taken together, the present study found several urinary phthalate metabolites were positively associated with sarcopenia prevalence in US adult population. These findings indicated phthalate exposure might be an important environmental risk factor contributing to sarcopenia development., (© 2021. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature.)

This study investigated the inhibitory effect of levocarnitine supplementation on sarcopenia progression in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) patients treated with lenvatinib. We evaluated the skeletal muscle index (SMI). After propensity score matching for age, sex, modified albumin-bilirubin grade, baseline presence of sarcopenia, and branched-chain amino acid administration, we selected 17 patients who received levocarnitine supplementation after starting lenvatinib therapy and 17 propensity-score-matched patients who did not receive levocarnitine. Sarcopenia was present in 76% of the patients at baseline. Changes in baseline SMI at 6 and 12 weeks of treatment were significantly suppressed in the group with levocarnitine supplementation compared with those without ( p = 0.009 and p = 0.018, respectively). While there were no significant differences in serum free carnitine levels in cases without levocarnitine supplementation between baseline and after 6 weeks of treatment ( p = 0.193), free carnitine levels were significantly higher after 6 weeks of treatment compared with baseline in cases with levocarnitine supplementation ( p < 0.001). Baseline SMI and changes in baseline SMI after 6 weeks of treatment were significantly correlated with free carnitine levels (r = 0.359, p = 0.037; and r = 0.345, p = 0.045, respectively). Levocarnitine supplementation can suppress sarcopenia progression during lenvatinib therapy.

Background: Evidence suggests that sarcopenia is a significant predictive factor of worst outcomes and treatment-associated toxicities in patients with metastatic solid tumours. The aim of this study was to explore the relationship between low muscle mass and clinical outcomes and immune-related severe toxicities (IrST) in patients treated with immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs)., Methods: A retrospective cohort of 261 consecutive metastatic solid tumour patients treated with ICIs were included in our study. Low muscle mass was defined as skeletal muscle index <41 cm 2 /m 2 for females and <43 cm 2 /m 2 for males if body mass index (BMI) <25 kg/m 2 or <53 cm 2 /m 2 if BMI ≥ 25 kg/m 2 . Severe toxicities (ST), including grade III-IV toxicities and side effects leading to treatment interruption, were recorded., Results: The majority of patients ( n  = 179; 69%) included in this study had metastatic lung cancer. The prevalence of low muscle mass was 47%. The median progression-free survival (PFS) was 32.2 weeks for low muscle mass patients and 24.3 weeks for non-low muscle mass patients (adjusted HR, 0.80; 95% CI, 0.60-1.055; p  = 0.11). For low muscle mass and non-low muscle mass lung cancer patients, median PFS was 24.0 weeks and 18.8 weeks (adjusted HR, 0.70; 95% CI, 0.50-0.98; p  = 0.04) and median overall survival was 50.7 weeks and 41.1 weeks (adjusted HR, 0.77; 95% CI, 0.54-1.10, p  = 0.15) respectively. Immune-related severe toxicities occurred in 3.3% and 9.4% of low muscle mass and non-low muscle mass patients respectively (adjusted OR, 0.69; 95% CI: 0.31-1.49; p  = 0.35)., Conclusion: No difference in outcomes and safety was observed for low muscle mass and non-low muscle mass patients treated with ICIs.

Objective: Statin therapy, associated with improved short-term survival after treatment of abdominal aortic aneurysms, may also predispose to muscle side effects. Evidence on statin-related sarcopenia is limited mainly to muscle function, and it is subject to several sources of bias. In the long term, postoperative development of sarcopenia is linked to mortality after endovascular repair (EVAR). We investigated statin use and long-term postoperative mortality after EVAR in relation to objective measurable markers of sarcopenia (psoas muscle surface area and density)., Methods: Altogether 216 abdominal aortic aneurysm patients treated with EVAR between 2006 and 2014 at Tampere University Hospital (Finland) were retrospectively studied. Psoas muscle parameters at the L3 level were evaluated from baseline and mainly 1- to 3-year follow-up computed tomography studies. Cox regression was used to study the association between statin medication, psoas muscle changes, and all-cause mortality., Results: The majority of patients were male (87%), and the mean age was 77.7 years (standard deviation, 7.4). The median duration of follow-up was 6.3 years (interquartile range, 3.5) with a total mortality of 54.2% (n = 117). Regardless of a higher burden of comorbidities, statin users (n = 119) had lower mortality when compared with nonusers (multivariable hazard ratio [HR]: 0.69, 95% confidence interval: 0.48-0.99, P = .048). Furthermore, statin use was not associated with inferior muscle parameter values, and the relative change in psoas muscle area was actually lower in statin users compared with nonusers (-15.7% and -21.1%, P < .046)., Conclusions: Statin use is associated with lower long-term mortality among patients undergoing EVAR without predisposing to increased sarcopenia., (Copyright © 2021 Society for Vascular Surgery. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)