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Highlighting sarcopenia management in cancer treatments: evidence from umbrella meta-analysis

Tongfa Yan1, Jiahao Cui2, Xiankai Chen3

  • 1Department of Thoracic Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, Henan, China.

Frontiers in Nutrition
|July 31, 2026
PubMed
Abstract

Insights

Sarcopenia, or muscle loss, negatively impacts cancer treatment outcomes, reducing survival and increasing complications. This finding highlights sarcopenia as a key factor for improving cancer patient care.

Area of Science:

  • Oncology
  • Geriatrics
  • Clinical Nutrition

Background:

  • Sarcopenia's impact on cancer treatment outcomes is not fully understood.
  • This study addresses the need for comprehensive documentation of sarcopenia's role in oncological therapies.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To conduct an umbrella meta-analysis investigating the association between sarcopenia and therapeutic outcomes in common cancers.
  • To synthesize evidence on sarcopenia's effect on survival and complications across various cancer types and treatments.

Main Methods:

  • Umbrella review of existing meta-analyses on cohort studies.
  • Systematic literature search of PubMed, Web of Science, and Embase up to October 2025.
  • Performed supplementary meta-analyses for outcomes with limited data; protocol registered in PROSPERO (CRD42022383726).

Main Results:

  • Included 59 meta-analyses across 12 cancer types.
  • Sarcopenia linked to shorter survival (overall and disease-free) post-surgery and poorer survival (overall and progression-free) with non-surgical therapy.
  • Sarcopenia increased postoperative complication risks and was associated with inferior outcomes in cancer immunotherapy.

Conclusions:

  • Sarcopenia is consistently associated with adverse therapeutic outcomes in cancer patients.
  • It negatively affects survival and complication rates across diverse malignancies and treatment modalities.
  • Sarcopenia warrants clinical attention and presents a potential therapeutic target for improving cancer treatment efficacy.
Keywords:
cancermeta-analysissarcopeniasystematic reviewumbrella review

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