PREVALANCE OF COMPUTED TOMOGRAPHY DETERMINED SARCOPENIA IN GASTRIC MALIGNANCY: 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: Sarcopenia is a complex syndrome defined by progressive and generalized loss of skeletal muscle mass and strength. Sarcopenia is mostly related to age, however cancer is one of its causes as well. These days, sarcopenia is becoming recognized as a poor cancer prognostic factor. Sarcopenia is especially problematic in individuals with gastric cancer who also have eating problems, which frequently result in weight loss and muscle loss. However, the definition and assessment methodology differ throughout research, thus these must be standardized. The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of sarcopenia in gastric malignancy patients using computed tomography. There is very limited data available from sub-Himalayan belt of northern India, hence the present study was planned the determine the prevalence of sarcopenia in gastric malignancy patients. 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 gastric cancer were considered for the study. Results: Forty-one patients were included in the study. Prevalence of sarcopenia was 43.90% (18patients) based on EWGSOP2 (The European Working Group on Sarcopenia in Older People 2) recommendations. Patients had a mean age of 60.66± 12.93 years. Sarcopenia was detected in 18(43.90%) patients based on EWGSOP2 (The European Working Group on Sarcopenia in Older People 2) recommendations. The mean age was 65.94 years in the sarcopenic group (SG) and 55.49 years in the non-sarcopenic group(NSG).The mean SMI(Skeletal Muscle Index) was 44.08±8.93cm²/m² and 46.19±9.13cm²/m² in the SG and NSG, respectively. The mean body mass index (BMI) was lower in the sarcopenic group than in the nonsarcopenic group (19.64 ± 3.36 vs. 20.18± 3.38 kg/m2). Conclusions: Prevalence of sarcopenia was 43.90% (18 patients) based on EWGSOP2 (The European Working Group on Sarcopenia in Older People 2) recommendations.

Keywords: Sarcopenia _ Prevalance_ gastric malignancy _Sub Himalayan Region.