Evaluation of sarcopenia-associated survival in breast cancer with computed tomography-based pectoral muscle area measurements

Abstract

Objective: Breast cancer is the most common and deadly female cancer. In breast cancer cases, survival is closely related to muscle mass, which is one of the components of body composition. Our aim was to investigate the usefulness of computed-tomography (CT)- based pectoral muscle measurements in detecting sarcopenia in patients with non-metastatic breast cancer and the relationship of these measurements with survival. Patients and Methods: Our study included 62 adult female breast cancer cases diagnosed with breast cancer between January 2012 and January 2018 and without metastasis in positron emission tomography/CT (PET/CT) examination obtained for pre-treatment staging. To evaluate sarcopenia, skeletal muscle index (SMI) and pectoral muscle index (PMI) were calculated by measuring pectoral muscle area and skeletal muscle area at L3 vertebra level on PET/CT images. Results: Deceased patients were significantly older (Median=73.90, IQR=27.04) than surviving patients (Median=54.60, IQR=13.37, p=0.025) and were diagnosed with cancer later in life (Median=63.92 IQR=30.16’ vs. Median=47.51 IQR=15.0, p=0.030). When the threshold of 31 cm2/m2 was selected, there was a statistically significant difference in survival between sarcopenic and non-sarcopenic groups (p=0.031). Conclusion: In conclusion, the presence of sarcopenia in female breast cancer cases is a parameter that affects survival and can be measured using radiological imaging methods. In addition to the measurements accepted in the literature regarding sarcopenia, pectoral muscle measurements can be chosen as an alternative method in the diagnosis of sarcopenia.