ArticlePloS one2017
Low skeletal muscle mass is associated with increased hospital expenditure in patients undergoing cancer surgery of the alimentary tract.
Article in PloS one, 2017. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 19 papers, 3 of them syntheses that pooled it.
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Who cites it
19 citing papers in PubMed, 3 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 46 citations in OpenAlex.
- The Effect of Exercise and Nutritional Interventions on Body Composition in Patients with Advanced or Metastatic Cancer: A Systematic Review.Nutrients · 2022Pooled it
- Prehabilitation in Frail Surgical Patients: A Systematic Review.World journal of surgery · 2020Pooled it
- Low skeletal muscle mass and postoperative morbidity in surgical oncology: a systematic review and meta-analysis.Journal of cachexia, sarcopenia and muscle · 2020Pooled it
- Predicting which colorectal cancer patients are most likely to improve their functional capacity with pre-surgery prehabilitation: a retrospective study based on the 6-min walk distance.Supportive care in cancer : official journal of the Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer · 2026Observational
- Review
- Article
- The impact of sarcopenia on the postoperative outcome in colorectal cancer surgery.Medicine and pharmacy reports · 2023Review
- Female mice may have exacerbated catabolic signalling response compared to male mice during development and progression of disuse atrophy.Journal of cachexia, sarcopenia and muscle · 2021Article
- Actual survival after resection of primary colorectal cancer: results from a prospective multicenter study.World journal of surgical oncology · 2021Article
- Different definition of sarcopenia and mortality in cancer: A meta-analysis.Osteoporosis and sarcopenia · 2021Article
- Sarcopenia and mortality in cancer: A meta-analysis.Osteoporosis and sarcopenia · 2021Article
- The malnourished surgery patient: a silent epidemic in perioperative outcomes?Current opinion in anaesthesiology · 2019Review
- Preoperative low skeletal muscle mass as a risk factor for pharyngocutaneous fistula and decreased overall survival in patients undergoing total laryngectomy.Head & neck · 2019Article
- Interobserver agreement of skeletal muscle mass measurement on head and neck CT imaging at the level of the third cervical vertebra.European archives of oto-rhino-laryngology : official journal of the European Federation of Oto-Rhino-Laryngological Societies (EUFOS) : affiliated with the German Society for Oto-Rhino-Laryngology - Head and Neck Surgery · 2019Article
- Malnutrition, frailty, and sarcopenia in pancreatic cancer patients: assessments and interventions for the pancreatic surgeon.Annals of pancreatic cancer · 2019Article
- Speed of sound ultrasound: a pilot study on a novel technique to identify sarcopenia in seniors.European radiology · 2019Article
- Implications of low muscle mass across the continuum of care: a narrative review.Annals of medicine · 2018Review
- Association of low skeletal muscle index with increased systematic inflammatory responses and interferon γ-induced protein 10 levels in patients with colon cancer.Cancer management and research · 2018Article
- Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
12 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundLow skeletal muscle mass is associated with poor postoperative outcomes in cancer patients. Furthermore, it is associated with increased healthcare costs in the United States. We investigated its effect on hospital expenditure in a Western-European healthcare system, with universal access.
methodsSkeletal muscle mass (assessed on CT) and costs were obtained for patients who underwent curative-intent abdominal cancer surgery. Low skeletal muscle mass was defined based on pre-established cut-offs. The relationship between low skeletal muscle mass and hospital costs was assessed using linear regression analysis and Mann-Whitney U-tests.
results452 patients were included (median age 65, 61.5% males). Patients underwent surgery for colorectal cancer (38.9%), colorectal liver metastases (27.4%), primary liver tumours (23.2%), and pancreatic/periampullary cancer (10.4%). In total, 45.6% had sarcopenia. Median costs were €2,183 higher in patients with low compared with patients with high skeletal muscle mass (€17,144 versus €14,961; P<0.001). Hospital costs incrementally increased with lower sex-specific skeletal muscle mass quartiles (P = 0.029). After adjustment for confounders, low skeletal muscle mass was associated with a cost increase of €4,061 (P = 0.015).
conclusionLow skeletal muscle mass was independently associated with increased hospital costs of about €4,000 per patient. Strategies to reduce skeletal muscle wasting could reduce hospital costs in an era of incremental healthcare costs and an increasingly ageing population.
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