O014 - HIGH PREVALENCE OF MYOPENIA AND MYOSTEATOSIS IN PATIENTS WITH OESOPHAGOGASTRIC CANCER

O014

HIGH PREVALENCE OF MYOPENIA AND MYOSTEATOSIS IN PATIENTS WITH OESOPHAGOGASTRIC CANCER

Y. Deswysen^1,2, E. Danse³, P. Trefois³, M. Van den Eynde⁴, N. Lanthier^2,5,*

¹Service de Chirurgie et Transplantation Abdominale, Cliniques universitaires Saint-Luc, ²Laboratoire de gastroentérologie et d’hépatologie, Institut de Recherche Expérimentale et Clinique, Université catholique de Louvain, ³Service de Radiologie, ⁴Service d'Oncologie Médicale, ⁵Service d'Hépato-gastroentérologie, Cliniques universitaires Saint-Luc, Brussels, Belgium

Rationale: Oesophagogastric cancers are associated with poor survival. Assessing muscle mass and quality identifies patients with reduced muscle mass (myopenia) and fat infiltration (myosteatosis), and examines their links with clinical parameters.

Methods: A retrospective study was conducted between Nov 2019 and Dec 2023, including patients diagnosed with oesophagogastric cancer. Skeletal muscle index (SMI) and density (SMD) were assessed via non-contrast computed tomography images at the third lumbar vertebra level. Myopenia was defined as SMI < 55.4 cm²/m² for men and < 38.9 cm²/m² for women. Myosteatosis was defined as SMD < 41 HU for BMI < 25 kg/m², and < 33 HU for BMI ≥ 25 kg/m². Clinical characteristics and biological markers were also analysed.

Results: A total of 161 patients with oesophageal (49.1%) or gastric cancer (50.9%) were included (67.1% male, mean age 65.0 ± 12.8 y). Most had adenocarcinoma (64.6%) and 25% presented with metastases. At diagnosis, mean SMI was 45.1 ± 10.5 cm²/m², and SMD 24.6 ± 9.6 HU. Myopenia and myosteatosis prevalence were 73.9% and 87.6%, respectively. Myopenic patients were older (67.2 ± 11.5 vs 58.6 ± 14.2 y, p=0.0001), had lower BMI (23.5 vs 27.9 kg/m², p<0.0001) and lower albumin level (40.7 ± 5.0 vs 43.1 ± 3.9 g/L, p=0.0023) than those with normal muscle mass. Myosteatosis was also associated with older age (66.3 ± 11.9 vs 55.9 ± 15.6 y, p=0.0005), higher proportion of women (35% vs 20%, p=0.0175) and lower albumin level (40.8 ± 4.9 vs 43.9 ± 2.9 g/L, p=0.0071) compared to patient with normal muscle density. Interestingly, despite lower muscle density, patients with myosteatosis also had lower SMI (42.3 vs 52.6 cm²/m², p<0.0001).

Conclusion: Body composition analysis in oesophagogastric cancer shows a high prevalence of myopenia and even higher of myosteatosis. Both conditions are linked to poor nutritional status. Future studies are needed to assess their prognostic value.

Disclosure of Interest: None declared