SARCOPENIA IS ASSOCIATED WITH SEVERE POSTOPERATIVE COMPLICATIONS IN COLORECTAL CANCER PATIENTS UNDERGOING SURGERY FOR COLORECTAL CANCER: A HOSPITAL BASED PROSPECTIVE OBSERVATIONAL STUDY IN SUB-HIMALAYAN REGION

Dr. Ishan Barotra*, Dr. Ashish Katoch, Dr. Puneet Mahajan and Dr. Rashpal Singh Thakur

ABSTRACT

Background: Malignancy is a secondary cause of sarcopenia, which is associated with impaired cancer treatment outcomes. The objective of this study was to examine the occurrence of postoperative complications in patients with resectable colorectal cancer, comparing those with sarcopenia to those without sarcopenia who underwent surgery for the disease. There is very limited data available from sub-Himalayan belt of northern India, hence the present study was planned to know the association of sarcopenia with postoperative complications in colorectal cancer patients undergoing surgery. Methods: A hospital based prospective observational study was conducted in the Department of General Surgery of a tertiary care hospital in Shimla, Himachal Pradesh. All patients who reported to Department of Surgery during the study period of 1st September 2021 to 30th September 2022 with diagnosis of colorectal cancer were considered for the study. Results: Thirty nine patients were included in the study and had a mean age of 57.59± 16.51 years. Sarcopenia was detected in 15(38.46%) patients based on EWGSOP2 (The European Working Group on Sarcopenia in Older People 2) recommendations. The mean age was 59.58 years in the sarcopenic group (SG) and 55.6 years in the non-sarcopenic group. The mean SMI(Skeletal Muscle Index) was 47.54±7.65cm²/m² and 49.248±8.44cm²/m² in the SG and NSG, respectively. The mean body mass index (BMI) was lower in the sarcopenic group than in the nonsarcopenic group (20.86 ± 2.34 vs. 21.90± 2.8 kg/m2). Postoperative complications based on Clavien Dindo classification were significantly higher in the sarcopenic group than in the non-sarcopenic group (60 % vs. 33.33 %; P = 0.03). Conclusions: Preoperative sarcopenia as defined by the EWGSOP2 recommendations is a risk factor for severe postoperative complications in colorectal cancer patients undergoing surgery.

Keywords: Sarcopenia _ Postoperative complications _ Colorectal cancer.