We use cookies to understand how you use our site and to improve your experience. This includes personalizing content and advertising. To learn more, click here. By continuing to use our site, you accept our use of cookies. Cookie Policy.

Features Partner Sites Information LinkXpress
Sign In
Advertise with Us

Download Mobile App




Sarcopenia Can Predict Post-Hepatectomy Survival

By HospiMedica International staff writers
Posted on 03 Oct 2013
Print article
A new study suggests that sarcopenia can predict worse overall survival for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) following partial hepatectomy.

Researchers at Kyushu University (Fukuoka, Japan) retrospectively collected data for 186 consecutive patients who underwent hepatectomy for HCC with curative intent between January 2004 and December 2009. Patients were assigned to one of two groups according to the clinical presence or absence of sarcopenia. They were also assessed by computerized tomography (CT) measurement of muscle mass at the level of the third lumbar vertebra, and clinic-pathological, surgical outcome, and long-term survival data were analyzed.

The results showed that sarcopenia was present in 40.3% of the patients, and was significantly correlated with female sex, lower body mass index (BMI), and liver dysfunction, as indicated by abnormal serum albumin levels and indocyanine green retention test at 15-minute values. In patients with and without sarcopenia, the 5-year overall survival rate was 71% and 83.7% respectively, and the 5-year recurrence-free survival rate was 13% and 33.2% respectively. Analysis revealed that reduced skeletal muscle mass was also predictive of an unfavorable prognosis. The study was published in the October 2013 issue of the British Journal of surgery (BJS).

“The present study investigated the effect of sarcopenia on short- and long-term outcomes following partial hepatectomy for hepatocellular carcinoma, and aimed to identify prognostic factors,” said lead author Norifumi Harimoto, MD, PhD, and colleagues of the department of surgery and science. “Sarcopenia was predictive of worse overall survival, even when adjusted for other known predictors.”

Sarcopenia (from the Greek, meaning "poverty of flesh") is the degenerative loss of skeletal muscle mass. It is characterized first by muscle atrophy, along with a reduction in muscle tissue quality, caused by such factors as replacement of muscle fibers with fat, an increase in fibrosis, changes in muscle metabolism, oxidative stress, and degeneration of the neuromuscular junction. Combined, these changes lead to progressive loss of muscle function and frailty. Sarcopenia can thus be thought of as a muscular analog of osteoporosis, also caused by inactivity and counteracted by exercise. The combination of osteoporosis and sarcopenia results in the significant frailty often seen in the elderly population.

Related Links:

Kyushu University


Gold Member
STI Test
Vivalytic Sexually Transmitted Infection (STI) Array
Gold Member
Real-Time Diagnostics Onscreen Viewer
GEMweb Live
Silver Member
Wireless Mobile ECG Recorder
NR-1207-3/NR-1207-E
New
Neonatal Ventilator
Servo-n

Print article

Channels

Critical Care

view channel
Image: The permeable wearable electronics developed for long-term biosignal monitoring (Photo courtesy of CityUHK)

Super Permeable Wearable Electronics Enable Long-Term Biosignal Monitoring

Wearable electronics have become integral to enhancing health and fitness by offering continuous tracking of physiological signals over extended periods. This monitoring is crucial for understanding an... Read more

Patient Care

view channel
Image: The newly-launched solution can transform operating room scheduling and boost utilization rates (Photo courtesy of Fujitsu)

Surgical Capacity Optimization Solution Helps Hospitals Boost OR Utilization

An innovative solution has the capability to transform surgical capacity utilization by targeting the root cause of surgical block time inefficiencies. Fujitsu Limited’s (Tokyo, Japan) Surgical Capacity... Read more

Health IT

view channel
Image: First ever institution-specific model provides significant performance advantage over current population-derived models (Photo courtesy of Mount Sinai)

Machine Learning Model Improves Mortality Risk Prediction for Cardiac Surgery Patients

Machine learning algorithms have been deployed to create predictive models in various medical fields, with some demonstrating improved outcomes compared to their standard-of-care counterparts.... Read more

Point of Care

view channel
Image: The PATHFAST hs-cTnI-II high-sensitivity troponin assay has been developed for the PATHFAST Biomarker Analyzer (Photo courtesy of Polymedco)

POC Myocardial Infarction Test Delivers Results in 17 Minutes

Chest pain is the second leading cause of emergency department (ED) visits by adults in the United States, generating over 7 million visits annually. In the event of a suspected heart attack, physicians... Read more
Copyright © 2000-2024 Globetech Media. All rights reserved.