O220: The role of cardiopulmonary exercise testing in predicting sarcopenia after neoadjuvant chemotherapy and post-operative complications

Abstract

Abstract Background Neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC) may contribute to sarcopenia development in patients with oesophageal and oesophagogastric junction (OGJ) adenocarcinoma. Preoperative cardiopulmonary fitness and sarcopenia are both variables which have been correlated with outcomes after major surgery. The aims of this study were to investigate if pre-operative cardiopulmonary exercise testing (CPET) variables were associated with radiological sarcopenia post NAC, and the effect of CPET variables on post-operative outcomes in sarcopenic patients. Methods Patients from a single high-volume tertiary centre diagnosed with oesophageal or OGJ adenocarcinoma between August 2015 and August 2022 were included. CPET variables and post-NAC CT scans to assess for radiological sarcopenia were evaluated. CPET variables included in statistical analyses were ventilatory equivalent for carbon dioxide (VE/VCO2), anaerobic threshold (AT) and peak oxygen consumption (VO2 peak). Results 208 patients were included. Median VE/VCO2 was 29 in patients with sarcopenia post-NAC and 28 in non-sarcopenic patients (p = 0.009). Other CPET variables were not associated with sarcopenia post NAC. Within the sarcopenic group, CPET variables were not associated with post-operative complications. Within the whole cohort, increased VE/VCO2 or decreased VO2 peak correlated with a longer hospital stay (p=0.043 and p=0.012 respectively), and an association was observed between VE/VCO2 and Clavien-Dindo grade of complications (p=0.019). Conclusions VE/VCO2 was associated with sarcopenia post NAC in patients with oesophageal and OGJ adenocarcinoma. Further analysis with a larger sample size might help establish this, which could be helpful in identifying and targeting patients at higher risk of sarcopenia and post-operative complications.