Evaluation of the relationship of the T and M stage with the erector spinae muscle area in male lung cancer patients

Abstract

Objectives Sarcopenia is very common due to cachexia and presents with a decrease in skeletal muscle mass. In this study, we aimed to investigate the relationship between the T, M category and the erector spinae muscle area (ESMa). Material and methods The initial first thorax and high-resolution computed tomography (CT) of patients with lung cancer between 2015 and 2019 were retrospectively screened. After exclusion criterias remaining 226 male patients constituted the study group. ESMa was measured manually in the section taken from the T12 vertebra spinous process level as previously described in the literature and its relationship with the T and M stage were evaluated. Results The mean ages of patients were 70 ± 9.57 years. The T stage was T1 in 34 (15%) patients, T2 in 46 (20.4%), T3 in 59 (26.1%), and T4 in 87 (38.5%). Metastasis was detected in 83 (36.7%) patients. The mean ESMa of the patients was 34.15 ± 7.21 mm2 and did not differ according to the T stage (p = .39). ESMa was lower in the metastatic group (mean 30.42 ± 6.38 mm2) than the non-metastatic group (mean 36.32 ± 6.78 mm2) (p = .0001). Conclusions ESMa, one of the indicators of sarcopenia, is lower in patients with metastatic lung cancer than in nonmetastatic.