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Sarcopenia is a prognostic factor for TKIs in metastatic thyroid carcinomas

Haruhiko Yamazaki1, Kiminori Sugino2, Kenichi Matsuzu2

  • 1Department of Surgery, Ito Hospital, 4-3-6, Jingumae, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo, 150-8308, Japan. paruo0413@gmail.com.

Endocrine
|December 23, 2019
PubMed
Abstract

Insights

Sarcopenia, a condition of muscle loss, is linked to poorer outcomes in metastatic thyroid cancer patients treated with tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs). Identifying sarcopenia may help predict treatment success and guide interventions for better prognosis.

Area of Science:

  • Oncology
  • Geriatrics
  • Metabolism

Background:

  • Sarcopenia is a known predictor of poor outcomes in various cancer patients receiving treatment.
  • Skeletal muscle index (SMI) is a key metric for assessing sarcopenia.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the association between sarcopenia and treatment outcomes in metastatic thyroid cancer patients receiving tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs).

Main Methods:

  • An observational study involving 54 metastatic thyroid cancer patients (differentiated thyroid carcinoma or medullary thyroid carcinoma) treated with TKIs.
  • Patients were categorized into sarcopenia and non-sarcopenia groups based on SMI thresholds (42 cm²/m² for males, 38 cm²/m² for females).
  • Retrospective review of patient records, including SMI evaluation before TKI treatment.

Main Results:

  • Thirty-three patients (61%) presented with sarcopenia before TKI treatment.
  • The sarcopenia group exhibited a longer duration of progression-free survival (PFS) compared to the non-sarcopenia group (median 13.6 vs. 41.9 months, p=0.017).
  • Multivariate analysis identified sarcopenia as the sole independent prognostic factor for PFS (HR: 2.488, p=0.037).

Conclusions:

  • Sarcopenia may serve as a predictive factor for TKI treatment outcomes in metastatic thyroid cancer.
  • Targeting sarcopenia could be a potential strategy to improve prognosis in these patients.
  • Further prospective studies are warranted to validate these findings.
Keywords:
CarcinomaOncologySarcopeniaThyroidTyrosine kinase inhibitor

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