Can Total Psoas Area Predict Toxicity After Stereotactic Body Radiation Therapy in Borderline Resectable and Locally Advanced Pancreatic Cancers?

Abstract

455Background: Total Psoas Area (TPA), a marker of sarcopenia, found clinical utility as an independent predictor of clinical outcomes in gastrointestinal cancers as a proxy for nutritional status. Our study evaluated the relationship of TPA and other proxies of nutrition like Body Mass Index (BMI) and Body Surface Area (BSA) with outcomes in Borderline Resectable Pancreatic Cancer (BRPC) and Locally Advanced Pancreatic Cancer (LAPC) patients receiving Stereotactic Body Radiation Therapy (SBRT). Methods: In retrospective analysis of an IRB approved database, 183 BRPC and LAPC patients treated with SBRT from 2009-2016 met our selection criteria. Patients underwent gemcitabine based or FOLFIRINOX chemotherapy for 3 months prior to SBRT. Eligible patients were those with pre-SBRT planning CT imaging on Pinnacle, a treatment planning system, and an identifiable L4 vertebra. Bilateral psoas muscles were manually contoured at the L4 vertebral level. This area was normalized by patient height (median = 876.505 m...