Evidence map›Paper›PMID 28513088›Full record

ArticleJournal of cachexia, sarcopenia and muscle2017

Psoas muscle area is not representative of total skeletal muscle area in the assessment of sarcopenia in ovarian cancer.

Iris J G Rutten, Jorne Ubachs, Roy F P M Kruitwagen, Regina G H Beets-Tan, Steven W M Olde Damink, Toon Van Gorp

Abstract read
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in Journal of cachexia, sarcopenia and muscle, 2017. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 96 papers, 8 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
96citing papers in PubMed, 8 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

96 citing papers in PubMed, 8 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.

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  8. ESPEN guideline on clinical nutrition in liver disease.Clinical nutrition (Edinburgh, Scotland) · 2019
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  18. Comparison of paravertebral muscle thickness and fatty infiltration in patients with osteoporosis, osteopenia and normal bone mineral density: a single-blind retrospective controlled trial.European spine journal : official publication of the European Spine Society, the European Spinal Deformity Society, and the European Section of the Cervical Spine Research Society · 2025
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36 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

6 authors.

Iris J G RuttenDepartment of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Maastricht University Medical Centre, PO Box 5800, Maastricht, 6202 AZ, The Netherlands.
Jorne UbachsDepartment of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Maastricht University Medical Centre, PO Box 5800, Maastricht, 6202 AZ, The Netherlands.
Roy F P M KruitwagenDepartment of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Maastricht University Medical Centre, PO Box 5800, Maastricht, 6202 AZ, The Netherlands.
Regina G H Beets-TanGROW School for Oncology and Developmental Biology, Maastricht University, PO Box 616, Maastricht, 6200 MD, The Netherlands.
Steven W M Olde DaminkDepartment of General Surgery, Maastricht University Medical Centre, PO Box 5800, Maastricht, 6202 AZ, The Netherlands.
Toon Van GorpDepartment of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Maastricht University Medical Centre, PO Box 5800, Maastricht, 6202 AZ, The Netherlands.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundComputed tomography measurements of total skeletal muscle area can detect changes and predict overall survival (OS) in patients with advanced ovarian cancer. This study investigates whether assessment of psoas muscle area reflects total muscle area and can be used to assess sarcopenia in ovarian cancer patients.

methodsOvarian cancer patients (n = 150) treated with induction chemotherapy and interval debulking were enrolled retrospectively in this longitudinal study. Muscle was measured cross sectionally with computed tomography in three ways: (i) software quantification of total skeletal muscle area (SMA); (ii) software quantification of psoas muscle area (PA); and (iii) manual measurement of length and width of the psoas muscle to derive the psoas surface area (PLW). Pearson correlation between the different methods was studied. Patients were divided into two groups based on the extent of change in muscle area, and agreement was measured with kappa coefficients. Cox-regression was used to test predictors for OS.

resultsCorrelation between SMA and both psoas muscle area measurements was poor (r = 0.52 and 0.39 for PA and PLW, respectively). After categorizing patients into muscle loss or gain, kappa agreement was also poor for all comparisons (all κ < 0.40). In regression analysis, SMA loss was predictive of poor OS (hazard ratio 1.698 (95%CI 1.038-2.778), P = 0.035). No relationship with OS was seen for PA or PLW loss.

conclusionsChange in psoas muscle area is not representative of total muscle area change and should not be used to substitute total skeletal muscle to predict survival in patients with ovarian cancer.

Indexed as

AdultAgedAged, 80 and overBody CompositionBody Weights and MeasuresCombined Modality TherapyCytoreduction Surgical ProceduresFemaleHumansInduction ChemotherapyLongitudinal StudiesMiddle AgedMuscle, SkeletalOvarian NeoplasmsPredictive Value of TestsPsoas MusclesBody composition measurementComputed tomographyOvarian cancerOverall survivalPsoas areaSarcopenia

Identifiers

PMID28513088
PMCPMC5566632

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Registered trials

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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.