Impact of sarcopenic obesity on postoperative complications and long-term survival in patients with gastric cancer

Background

Sarcopenic obesity (SO), defined as the coexistence of sarcopenia (low muscle mass with impaired function) and obesity, has been linked to adverse outcomes in several cancers, but its impact in gastric cancer (GC) remains unclear.

Methods

This retrospective cohort study included 502 GC patients who underwent curative gastrectomy. Body composition was assessed via preoperative CT at the L3 vertebral level. SO is conceptually the coexistence of sarcopenia-low muscle mass with impaired function-and obesity; in this cohort, lacking function tests, SO was operationally defined as low skeletal muscle index (SMI) plus high visceral fat area (VFA). Patients were categorized into four groups: normal composition, obesity, sarcopenia, and SO, with the normal composition group serving as the reference. Complications, overall survival (OS), and disease-free survival (DFS) were assessed via logistic and Cox regression.

Results

SO was present in 16.9 % of patients. The median follow-up time was 40 months (interquartile range [IQR]: 20–65 months), and the estimated 5-year OS was 45 %. Compared with the normal composition group, SO was independently associated with higher rates of postoperative complications (odds ratio [OR] = 2.63, 95 % CI: 1.91–4.90, P = 0.002), worse OS (hazard ratio [HR] = 1.88, 95 % CI: 1.32–2.67, P < 0.001), and poorer DFS (HR = 1.75, 95 % CI: 1.22–2.51, P = 0.002). SO outperformed sarcopenia or obesity alone in predicting adverse outcomes.

Conclusions

SO is an independent prognostic factor in GC and should be incorporated into preoperative evaluation. Early intervention strategies targeting SO may help improve postoperative and survival outcomes.