ArticleEuropean 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 Surgery2019
Interobserver agreement of skeletal muscle mass measurement on head and neck CT imaging at the level of the third cervical vertebra.
Article in 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, 2019. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 34 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.
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Who cites it
34 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 63 citations in OpenAlex.
- Association between sarcopenia and outcomes of surgically treated oral squamous cell carcinoma: a systematic review and meta-analysis.Frontiers in oncology · 2024Pooled it
- Body Composition Evaluation in Head and Neck Cancer Patients: A Review.Frontiers in oncology · 2019Pooled it
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- Low Skeletal Muscle Mass as a Key Predictor of Postoperative Diet Outcomes in Circumferential Hypopharyngeal Cancer Reconstruction.Laryngoscope investigative otolaryngology · 2026Article
- Uncertainty-Aware Framework for CT Radiation Dose Optimization in the Active Surveillance of Small Renal Masses: Clinical and Radiological Considerations.Diagnostics (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Article
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- An Analysis of the Efficacy of Deep Learning-Based Pectoralis Muscle Segmentation in Chest CT for Sarcopenia Diagnosis.Journal of imaging informatics in medicine · 2025Article
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- Analysis of the current status of computed tomography diagnosis of sarcopenia.Archives of medical science : AMS · 2025Article
- How do patients with head and neck cancer and low skeletal muscle mass experience cisplatin-based chemoradiotherapy? A qualitative study.Supportive care in cancer : official journal of the Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer · 2024Article
- CT-assessed sarcopenia and prognostic nutritional index are associated with poor prognosis in oral squamous cell carcinoma.Oral and maxillofacial surgery · 2024Article
- Role of sarcopenia on survival and treatment-related toxicity in head and neck cancer: a narrative review of current evidence and future perspectives.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 · 2023Review
- Development and Validation of an Automated Image-Based Deep Learning Platform for Sarcopenia Assessment in Head and Neck Cancer.JAMA network open · 2023Article
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- Prognostic Impact of Sarcopenia's Occurrence during Radiotherapy in Oropharyngeal Cancer Patients.Cancers · 2023Article
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Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
9 authors at 1 institution in 2 countries.
Funding
Abstract
objectivesSkeletal muscle mass (SMM) is most often assessed in cancer patients on abdominal computed tomography (CT) imaging at the level of the third lumbar vertebra (L3). Abdominal CT imaging is not routinely performed in head and neck cancer (HNC) patients. Recently, a novel method to assess SMM on a single transversal CT slice at the level of the third cervical vertebra (C3) was published. The objective of this study was to assess the robustness of this novel C3 measurement method in terms of interobserver agreement. PATIENTS AND
methodsPatients diagnosed with locally advanced head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (LA-HNSCC) at our center between 2007 and 2011 were evaluated. Fifty-four patients with were randomly selected for analysis. Six observers independently measured the cross-sectional muscle area (CSMA) at the level of C3 using a predefined, written protocol as instruction. Interobserver agreement was assessed using intraclass correlation coefficients (ICCs), a Bland-Altman plot and Fleiss' kappa (κ).
resultsThe agreement in vertebra selection between all observers was excellent (Fleiss' κ: 0.96). There was a substantial agreement between all observers in single slice selection (Fleiss' κ: 0.61). For all CSMA measurements, ICCs were excellent (0.763-0.969; all p < 0.001). The Bland-Altman plot showed good agreement between measurements, with narrow limits of agreement.
conclusionInterobserver agreement for SMM measurement at the level of C3 was excellent. Assessment of SMM at the level of C3 is easy and robust and can performed on routinely available imaging in HNC patients.
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