Evidence map›Paper›PMID 34664431›Full record

SynthesisJournal of cachexia, sarcopenia and muscle2021

Computed tomography-defined low skeletal muscle index and density in cancer patients: observations from a systematic review.

Josh McGovern, Ross D Dolan, Paul G Horgan, Barry J Laird, Donald C McMillan

Open access · goldAbstract readSystematic Review
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Synthesis in Journal of cachexia, sarcopenia and muscle, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 75 papers, 7 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
75citing papers in PubMed, 7 pooled it
10.4field-weighted citation impact, top 1% of its field
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

75 citing papers in PubMed, 7 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 109 citations in OpenAlex.

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15 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.

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

5 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.

Josh McGovernAcademic Unit of Surgery, School of Medicine, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, UK.ORCID 0000-0002-6889-6240
Ross D DolanAcademic Unit of Surgery, School of Medicine, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, UK.
Paul G HorganAcademic Unit of Surgery, School of Medicine, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, UK.
Barry J LairdInstitute of Genetics and Molecular Medicine, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK.
Donald C McMillanAcademic Unit of Surgery, School of Medicine, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, UK.
University of Glasgow · GBInstitute of Genetics and Cancer · GB

Funding

Marie Curie MCRGS-07-16-73
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundComputed tomography (CT) analysis of body composition has garnered interest as a potential prognostic tool in those with cancer. A range of pre-defined thresholds currently exist within the literature to define low skeletal muscle mass and density. The aim of the present systematic review was to assess the prevalence of low skeletal muscle index (SMI) and density (SMD) within the literature, across a range of common solid tumours.

methodsA systematic search of PubMed was carried out to identify studies reporting CT analysis of SMI and SMD in patients with colorectal, oesophageal, gastric, hepatobiliary, pancreatic, breast, and lung cancer. The type of cancer, whether curative or non-curative disease, the anthropomorphic parameter studied, threshold used to define low SMI and SMD, and the prevalence of these anthropomorphic measurements within the population were recorded.

resultsOf the 160 studies included, 156 reported an assessment of SMI and 35 reported assessment of SMD. The median prevalence of low SMI was 43% (30.1-57.1) and low SMD 49.4% (31.7-58.5) across the entire cohort. There was little variation in the prevalence of low SMI and SMD when studies were divided into curative and non-curative cohorts-40.7% (27.5-51.3) vs. 48.4% (30.9-60.1) and 37.8% (32.2-52.2) vs. 55.3% (38.5-64.7) respectively. When divided into colorectal, oesophageal, gastric, hepatobiliary, pancreatic, breast and lung cancers, similar prevalence of low SMI (46.0% %, 49.8%, 35.7%, 41.1%, 32.3%, 34%, and 49.5%) and low SMD were also observed (52.1%, 54.3%, 71.2%, 56.8%, 55.3%, and 52.6%). This was maintained when studies were stratified into cohorts by threshold used-low SMI (Martin 48.9%, Prado 49.9%, and Others 36.0%) and low SMD (Martin 52.4% and Others 48.6%).

conclusionsLow SMI and SMD are endemic across a range of cancer types and disease stage, challenging pre-existing dogma of the determinants of prevalence.

Indexed as

Lung NeoplasmsMuscle, SkeletalBody CompositionHumansPrognosisTomography, X-Ray ComputedBody compositionCancerCT

Identifiers

PMID34664431
PMCPMC8718024
OpenAlexW3207904671

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY-NC-ND
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

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.