Sarcopenia Is Associated with Quality of Life and Depression in Patients with Advanced Cancer.

ABSTRACT: Patients with advanced cancer often experience muscle wasting (sarcopenia), yet little is known about the characteristics associated with sarcopenia and the relationship between sarcopenia and patients' quality of life (QOL) and mood.As part of a randomized trial, we assessed baseline QOL (Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy-General [FACT-G]) and mood (Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale [HADS]) in patients within 8 weeks of diagnosis of incurable lung or gastrointestinal cancer, and prior to randomization. Using computed tomography scans collected as part of routine clinical care, we assessed sarcopenia at the level of the third lumbar vertebra with validated sex-specific cutoffs. We used logistic regression to explore characteristics associated with presence of sarcopenia. To examine associations between sarcopenia, QOL and mood, we used linear regression, adjusted for patients' age, sex, marital status, education, and cancer type.Of 237 participants (mean age?=?64.41?±?10.93 years), the majority were male (54.0%) and married (70.5%) and had lung cancer (56.5%). Over half had sarcopenia (55.3%). Older age (odds ratio [OR]?=?1.05, p?=?.002) and education beyond high school (OR?=?1.95, p?=?.047) were associated with greater likelihood of having sarcopenia, while female sex (OR?=?0.25, p?

SUBMITTER: Nipp RD 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5759817 | biostudies-other | 2018 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-other