MRI-Determined Psoas Muscle Fat Infiltration Correlates with Severity of Weight Loss during Cancer Cachexia

Area of Science:

• Oncology
• Radiology
• Biomarker Discovery

Background:

• Cancer cachexia is a complex metabolic syndrome characterized by involuntary weight loss.
• Accurate monitoring of cachexia severity is crucial for patient management and treatment efficacy.
• Current methods for assessing cachexia may not fully capture disease progression or individual patient responses.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the utility of psoas and erector spinae muscle proton density fat fraction (PDFF) and fat volume as biomarkers for cachexia severity in cancer patients.
• To investigate regional variations in muscle parameters within these muscles over time.
• To correlate muscle parameter changes with clinical outcomes such as body mass index (BMI) changes.

Main Methods:

• Prospective study involving 58 oncological patients undergoing 1-5 MRI scans at 3 T.
• Measurement of muscle volume and PDFF.
• Segmentation of muscle masks into proximal, middle, and distal sections to analyze regional differences.

Main Results:

• Significant regional variations in fat distribution were observed in the erector spinae muscle at baseline.
• Relative changes in muscle parameters were significant during follow-up, with regional differences noted in the erector spinae muscle.
• Baseline psoas fat volume and PDFF correlated significantly with maximum BMI change during the disease course, even after accounting for age.

Conclusions:

• Erector spinae muscles exhibit regional fat distribution variations and changes in muscle parameters over time.
• Psoas muscle PDFF and fat volume are potential MRI-determined biomarkers for early risk stratification.
• These biomarkers can aid in monitoring the progression and severity of weight loss in cancer cachexia.