Impact of sarcopenia on overall survival and local relapse in head and neck cancer patients undergoing surgical excision

Y.K. Duymaz, E.D. Topcuoglu, S. Sahin, F. Kucuk, B. Erkmen

Department of Otolaryngology, University of Health Sciences, Umraniye Training and Research Hospital, Istanbul, Turkey. uymazyasarkemal@gmail.com

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• Otorhinolaryngology

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study is to evaluate the effect of sarcopenia on overall survival and local relapse in head and neck cancer patients undergoing surgical excision.

PATIENTS AND METHODS: This retrospective study includes head and neck cancer patients primarily treated with surgical excision in a tertiary care center. Patients were included if they had undergone an abdominal region Computer Tomography scan at least 45 days before the surgical excision. Hospital records were collected, and data analysis included patient demographics, comorbidities, tumor staging, surgical details, adjuvant therapy details, treatment complications, death records, and last follow-up appointment details.

RESULTS: In this retrospective study, 138 head and neck cancer patients were included, with 69.6% males and 30.4% females. The mean age was 60.2±12.3 years, and the average follow-up time was 54.3±16.3 months. Sarcopenia was present in 48.6% of patients and absent in 51.4%. Sarcopenic patients had a significantly lower mean age compared to non-sarcopenic patients (p<0.05). The proportion of larynx cancer was significantly lower in the sarcopenia group compared to the non-sarcopenia group (p<0.05). According to the American Joint Committee on Cancer (AJCC) staging, stage IV was significantly higher in the sarcopenia group (p<0.05). Local relapse was significantly higher in the sarcopenia group (p<0.05).

CONCLUSIONS: The findings of this study emphasize the importance of sarcopenia evaluation in determining prognosis and identifying patients who may benefit from specialized and intensive nutritional programs. Sarcopenia harms overall survival and local relapse in head and neck cancer patients.

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