Sarcopenia, sarcopenic obesity, myosteatosis as factors of poor prognosis in gastrointestinal tract tumors: review

Abstract

Over the past decade, there has been a noticeable increase in the number of publications devoted to the analysis of body composition in the treatment of gastrointestinal malignancies. Sarcopenia (skeletal muscle depletion), sarcopenic obesity and myosteatosis are shown to have a negative impact on the results of surgical and chemotherapeutic treatment of patients with gastrointestinal tumors. The review presents in detail data on clinical value of sarcopenia, sarcopenic obesity and myosteatosis along with methodological aspects of body composition analysis. Different cut-offs and diagnostic criteria exist between Western and Eastern patient populations which makes any comparison or meta-analysis not possible right now. The review presents data from Russian and foreign studies on the influence of body composition on postoperative outcomes and survival in patients with gastrointestinal tumors. The article also discusses the influence of body composition on dose-limiting toxicity of chemotherapy. We aimed at raising awareness of clinicians regarding the high prevalence of cancer cachexia and, precisely, sarcopenia, sarcopenic obesity and myosteatosis in patients with GI tract tumors. Deeper understanding of these syndromes is the key to developing measures for prevention as well as correcting the treatment of patients with gastrointestinal tumors.