Sarcopenia in cancer survivors is associated with increased cardiovascular disease risk

The aim of this study was to assess the association between sarcopenia and cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk in cancer survivors.

We analyzed a consecutive series of 683 cancer survivors from the Korean National Health and Nutritional Exam Survey (2008-2011 years). Sarcopenia was defined as the appendicular skeletal muscle mass divided by weight (Kg) < 1 standard deviation below the sex-specific healthy population aged 20-39 years. CVD risks were assessed using the Framingham Risk Score (FRS), which were divided by tertile. Predictors of higher shift of FRS tertile by sex were calculated by stratified ordinal logistic regression analyses.

Proportions of sarcopenia were 24.2% in males and 22.5% in females. Sarcopenic survivors were more likely to have a higher body mass index, waist circumference, blood pressure and fasting glucose level, and a lower high-density lipoprotein compared to those without sarcopenia. Sarcopenia was associated with a higher shift of FRS tertile (common odds ratio, 2.67; 95% confidence interval, 1.18-6.52, P < 0.001) in males. However, this association was not significant in female survivors.

Sarcopenia was associated with an increased CVD risk in Korean male cancer survivors. Interventions to prevent sarcopenia may be necessary to improve cardiovascular burden in cancer survivors.