Iris Publishers-Advances in Cancer Research & Clinical Imaging| Sarcopenia and Postoperative Complications in Gastrointestinal Cancer

Authored by Camila Cava Miguel

Background: Surgical procedures in the treatment of gastrointestinal cancer have an impact on nutritional status. Sarcopenia has been determined as an independent factor for the increase of postoperative complications in elderly patients. Objective: Correlate the presence of sarcopenia with postoperative complications in elderly patients with gastrointestinal cancer.

Methods: Prospective study, including 46 elderly patients undergoing curative and elective surgery of the gastrointestinal tract. Sarcopenia was identified using the criteria of The European Working Group on Sarcopenia in Older People. The nutritional profile of the sample was evaluated by the Patient-Generated Subjective Global Assessment, biochemical parameters of transferrin, albumin and total lymphocyte count and by the Body Mass Index. Statistical analysis was performed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences® (SPSS) program. The t test, Chi-square, in addition to the ROC curve and the non-linear regression analysis were applied. Statistical significance was considered when p <0.05 with a 95% confidence interval (CI).

Result: In the sample, 30,4% (n=14) of the patients were sarcopenic. Sarcopenia was associated with an increase in postoperative complications (p=0.003), in addition to an increase in length of hospital stay (p=0.042). The ROC curve showed area under the curve of 0,807, and nonlinear regression analysis demonstrated that 80% of patients with sarcopenia are at higher risk of postoperative complications. Conclusion: Sarcopenia is an independent risk factor for the development of postoperative complications, and it is associated with increased length of hospital stay. The effectiveness of nutritional intervention should be evaluated in this group.

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