Multicenter prospective cohort study of impact of sarcopenic obesity on cancer outcomes

A multicenter prospective cohort study in China assessed impact of sarcopenic obesity (SO; according to ESPEN-EASO criteria) on outcomes in patients with solid tumor cancers. In this study involving 6790 patients with cancer, the prevalence of SO was 4.36%. Cox regression analysis indicated that SO was associated with a greater than 50% higher risk of death (HR 1.54; 95% CI 1.23-1.92), in both male (1.51; 1.09-2.10) and female (1.53; 1.12-2.07) patients. SO was also associated with poorer quality of life and higher risk of ICU admission. Among the diagnostic components of SO, low hand grip strength was more profoundly associated with poor overall survival. The authors conclude that SO was associated with poor OS among patients with cancer and should be integrated into clinical care of cancer patients.