Evidence map›Paper›PMID 26960539›Full record

ArticleEuropean radiology2016

Adipose tissue and muscle attenuation as novel biomarkers predicting mortality in patients with extremity sarcomas.

Joyce Veld, Josephina A Vossen, Karen De Amorim Bernstein, Elkan F Halpern, Martin Torriani, Miriam A Bredella

Abstract read
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In one paragraph

Article in European radiology, 2016. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 28 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
28citing papers in PubMed, 1 pooled it
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

28 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.

  1. Pooled it
  2. Visceral adipose tissue-to-blood pool standardized uptake ratio byInternational journal of clinical oncology · 2026
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  17. Body Composition Predictors of Adverse Postoperative Events in Patients Undergoing Surgery for Long Bone Metastases.Journal of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons. Global research & reviews · 2022
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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

6 authors.

Joyce VeldDivision of Musculoskeletal Imaging and Intervention, Department of Radiology, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Yawkey 6E, 55 Fruit Street, Boston, MA, 02114, USA.
Josephina A VossenDivision of Musculoskeletal Imaging and Intervention, Department of Radiology, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Yawkey 6E, 55 Fruit Street, Boston, MA, 02114, USA.
Karen De Amorim BernsteinDepartment of Radiation Oncology, Francis H Burr Proton Therapy Center, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, 55 Fruit Street, Boston, MA, 02114, USA.
Elkan F HalpernInstitute of Technology Assessment, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, 101 Merrimac Street, Boston, MA, 02114, USA.
Martin TorrianiDivision of Musculoskeletal Imaging and Intervention, Department of Radiology, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Yawkey 6E, 55 Fruit Street, Boston, MA, 02114, USA.
Miriam A BredellaDivision of Musculoskeletal Imaging and Intervention, Department of Radiology, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Yawkey 6E, 55 Fruit Street, Boston, MA, 02114, USA. mbredella@mgh.harvard.edu.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

objectivesTo assess CT-attenuation of abdominal adipose tissue and psoas muscle as predictors of mortality in patients with sarcomas of the extremities.

methodsOur study was IRB approved and HIPAA compliant. The study group comprised 135 patients with history of extremity sarcoma (mean age: 53 ± 17 years) who underwent whole body PET/CT. Abdominal subcutaneous adipose tissue (SAT), visceral adipose tissue (VAT), and psoas muscle attenuation (HU) was assessed on non-contrast, attenuation-correction CT. Clinical information including survival, tumour stage, sarcoma type, therapy and pre-existing comorbidities were recorded. Cox proportional hazard models were used to determine longitudinal associations between adipose tissue and muscle attenuation and mortality.

resultsThere were 47 deaths over a mean follow-up period of 20 ± 17 months. Higher SAT and lower psoas attenuation were associated with increased mortality (p = 0.03 and p = 0.005, respectively), which remained significant after adjustment for age, BMI, sex, tumor stage, therapy, and comorbidities (p = 0.002 and p = 0.02, respectively). VAT attenuation was not associated with mortality.

conclusionAttenuation of SAT and psoas muscle, assessed on non-contrast CT, are predictors of mortality in patients with extremity sarcomas, independent of other established prognostic factors, suggesting that adipose tissue and muscle attenuation could serve as novel biomarkers for mortality in patients with sarcomas. KEY POINTS: • CT-attenuation of adipose tissue and muscle predict mortality in sarcoma patients • CT-attenuation predicts mortality independent of established prognostic factors • Patients with sarcomas often undergo CT for staging or surveillance • Adipose tissue and muscle attenuation could serve as biomarkers for mortality.

Indexed as

Tomography, X-Ray ComputedAbdominal FatBiomarkersExtremitiesFemaleFollow-Up StudiesHumansMaleMiddle AgedPredictive Value of TestsPsoas MusclesRetrospective StudiesSarcomaSoft Tissue NeoplasmsBiomarkersAdipose tissue attenuationComputed tomography (CT)Hounsfield UnitsMuscle attenuationSarcoma

Identifiers

PMID26960539

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.