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Fully-automated CT derived body composition analysis reveals sarcopenia in functioning adrenocortical carcinomas
Prasanna Santhanam1, Roshan Dinparastisaleh2, Karteek Popuri3
1Division of Endocrinology, Diabetes, and Metabolism, Department of Medicine, Asthma and Allergy Center, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, 5501 Hopkins Bayview Circle, Suite 3 B 73, Baltimore, MD, 21224, USA. psantha1@jhmi.edu.
Adrenocortical carcinomas (ACC) show significant muscle loss (sarcopenia) compared to benign lesions. Functional ACCs exhibit accelerated sarcopenia, suggesting body composition analysis aids in understanding cancer progression and prognosis.
Area of Science:
- Oncology
- Radiology
- Body Composition Analysis
Background:
- Body composition, particularly muscle mass (sarcopenia), is crucial for cancer prognosis.
- Manual CT-based muscle mass estimation is time-consuming and labor-intensive.
- Automated body composition analysis offers a rapid and accurate alternative.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate body composition differences between adrenocortical carcinomas (ACC) and benign adrenal lesions.
- To investigate the association between ACC functionality and sarcopenia.
- To explore the utility of automated body composition analysis in ACC research.
Main Methods:
- Utilized a fully automated body composition analysis technology.
- Analyzed medical images from The Cancer Imaging Archive (TCIA) and a tertiary academic center.
- Compared body composition metrics, focusing on muscle mass, between ACC and benign adrenal lesions.
Main Results:
- Adrenocortical carcinomas (ACC) demonstrated significantly greater sarcopenia compared to benign adrenal lesions.
- Functional ACCs exhibited more accelerated sarcopenia than non-functional ACCs.
- Automated analysis confirmed high accuracy in body composition determination.
Conclusions:
- Automated body composition analysis is a feasible tool for assessing sarcopenia in ACC.
- Sarcopenia is a relevant factor in adrenocortical carcinoma, potentially impacting prognosis.
- Further research into body composition and ACC prognosis may inform nutritional strategies in cancer therapy.
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