Risk Factor of Sarcopenia After Gastrectomy in Elderly Patients With Gastric Cancer

Sarcopenia is a progressive and generalized muscle disorder correlated with an increased risk of adverse outcomes, including falls, fractures, physical disability and mortality. Moreover, sarcopenia is associated with short- and long-term outcomes after surgery in patients with gastrointestinal malignancies. Additionally, severe skeletal muscle loss after surgery reduces quality of life. In this study, we analyzed the perioperative risk factors for skeletal muscle loss after gastrectomy in elderly patients undergoing radical gastrectomy for gastric cancer.

In this case-control study, we enrolled patients aged ≥75 years who underwent radical gastrectomy for gastric cancer between January 2014 and December 2020 at our Institution. The psoas muscle index was used to assess skeletal muscle mass. They were divided into two groups-muscle depletion (D group) and no depletion (ND group)-depending on the ratio of skeletal muscle loss before and after gastrectomy.

The D and ND groups comprised 34 and 41 patients, respectively. Univariate analysis showed that open gastrectomy was a potential risk factor for postoperative skeletal muscle loss in elderly gastric cancer patients (p=0.017). In multiple logistic regression analysis using the following variables: sex, operation and approach, the D group had a significantly higher proportion of patients who underwent open surgery than the ND group (p=0.032).

Open gastrectomy is an independent risk factor for the progression of sarcopenia after gastrectomy in elderly patients with gastric cancer. Laparoscopic surgery is an eligible method for preserving skeletal muscle mass in elderly patients with gastric cancer.