ASSOCIATION OF SARCOPENIA AND DURATION OF POSTOPERATIVE HOSPITAL STAY IN RESECTABLE GASTRIC CANCER PATIENTS UNDERGOING GASTRECTOMY: 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 aim of this study was to determine the duration of postoperative hospital stay in patients with resectable gastric cancer who underwent gastrectomy, comparing those with sarcopenia to those without sarcopenia. 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 duration of postoperative hospital stay in resectable gastric cancer patients undergoing gastrectomy. 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 and 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. 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). Postoperative duration of hospital stay was significantly higher in the sarcopenic group than in the non-sarcopenic group (15.66 days vs. 8.8days; p = 0.03). Conclusions: Postoperative duration of hospital stay was significantly higher in the sarcopenic group than in the non-sarcopenic group in resectable gastric cancer patients who underwent gastrectomy.

Keywords: Sarcopenia _ Postoperative Duration _ Hospital Stay _ Gastrectomy.