Clinical Features of Presarcopenia in Elderly Colorectal Cancer Patients

• Published in: Nihon Daicho Komonbyo Gakkai Zasshi Vol. 77; no. 4; pp. 193 - 198
• Main Authors: Shigaki, Takahiro, Fujiyoshi, Kenji, Sudou, Tomoya, Tanaka, Yuuya, Yoshida, Naohiro, Koushi, Kenichi, Yoshida, Takefumi, Fujita, Fumihiko, Murotani, Kenta, Akagi, Yoshito
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English; Japanese
• Published: The Japan Society of Coloproctology 2024
• Subjects: elderly colorectal cancer; inflammatory markers; presarcopenia; sarcopenia
• ISSN: 0047-1801; 1882-9619
• DOI: 10.3862/jcoloproctology.77.193

BackgroundSarcopenia is defined as a decline in skeletal muscle mass and whole-body physical function associated with aging. If only a decrease in skeletal muscle mass is observed, the term used is presarcopenia (PS). In this study, we retrospectively analyzed the clinical significance of PS in older patients with colorectal cancer aged ≥75 years.ResultsOf the 131 older patients with colorectal cancer, 33 were classified as PS group and 98 as non-PS group. Postoperative complications were more common in the PS group (P=0.051). In addition, Alb levels were lower in the PS group (Alb: P=0.069) and CRP-Alb ratio (CAR) was higher in the PS group (CAR: P = 0.069). The neutrophil-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) was higher in the PS group (NLR: P= 0.002).ConclusionPS in older patients with colorectal cancer was associated with an increased incidence of postoperative complications and longer hospital stay. Diagnosing PS before surgery may be useful as a screening tool for identifying patients at high risk of postoperative complications. Furthermore, PS was suggested to be associated with preoperative inflammation-related factors such as CAR and NLR.