PD878 - ASSOCIATION BETWEEN NUTRITIONAL STATUS AND SARCOPENIA WITH GASTROSTOMY PLACEMENT IN PATIENTS WITH HEAD AND NECK CANCER

PD878

ASSOCIATION BETWEEN NUTRITIONAL STATUS AND SARCOPENIA WITH GASTROSTOMY PLACEMENT IN PATIENTS WITH HEAD AND NECK CANCER

M. Alvarez Martín^1,*, I. Martin Perez¹, A. Pinos Blanco¹, A. Cayuela García¹, P. Villalba Armario¹, M. Carpio Salmerón¹, C. Marín Sospedra¹, R. Cañas Angulo¹

¹Endocrinología y Nutrición, Complejo Hospitalaria Cartagena, Murcia, Spain

Rationale: Gastrostomy is frequently required in patients with head and neck cancer to maintain adequate nutritional support, often due to disease progression or treatment-related complications. The aim of this study is to evaluate the association between tumor type, disease-related malnutrition (DRM), and sarcopenia and the risk of gastrostomy placement.

Methods: An analytical observational study was conducted in patients with head and neck cancer assessed at Nutrition Unit in Cartagena Hospital, Spain, between January 2025 and February 2026. Variables collected included age, sex, tumor type, handgrip strength and gastrostomy placement. Bioelectrical impedance vector analysis (BIVA) was performed, including skeletal muscle mass (SMM) and appendicular skeletal muscle mass index (ASMI). Malnutrition was classified according to GLIM criteria and sarcopenia according to EWGSOP2 criteria. Data were analyzed using Jamovi v2.6.26.

Results: 6 of 36 patients (16.6%) required gastrostomy. Among these patients, 50% presented moderate DRM and 25% severe DRM. In patients without gastrostomy, 40% had moderate DRM and 25% severe DRM. No association was observed between tumor type or degree of malnutrition and gastrostomy placement. Sarcopenia was more prevalent in patients with gastrostomy (66.7% vs 20%). This association was statistically significant (χ² = 5.43; p = 0.020), with higher odds of sarcopenia in this group (OR 8.0; 95% CI 1.17–54.5).

Conclusion: Patients with gastrostomy have a significantly higher risk of sarcopenia. However, this association may reflect a marker of worse baseline clinical condition, and the wide confidence interval warrants cautious interpretation. Further studies are needed to better understand the relationship between gastrostomy and sarcopenia in patients with head and neck cancer

Disclosure of Interest: None declared