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Updated: Aug 22, 2026
An Orthotopic Resectional Mouse Model of Pancreatic Cancer
Published on: September 24, 2020
Prognostic Utility of the Cachexia Index in Resectable and Borderline Resectable Pancreatic Cancer Treated with
Satoru Tsuruta1, Keinosuke Ishido, Hayato Nagase
1Department of Gastroenterological Surgery, Hirosaki University Graduate School of Medicine.
Objectives:
The cachexia index (CXI), integrating skeletal muscle mass, serum albumin, and the neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio, has been proposed as a marker of cancer-related cachexia. The objective of this study was to assess the prognostic significance of pre-treatment CXI in patients with resectable or borderline resectable pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) undergoing neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC) followed by resection.
Methods:
We retrospectively analyzed 75 patients with resectable or borderline resectable PDAC who underwent NAC followed by curative resection (2012-2023). CXI was calculated using total skeletal muscle area (S-CXI) and psoas muscle area (P-CXI). Patients were stratified into low and normal groups using sex-specific tertiles.
Results:
Baseline and pathological characteristics were comparable between groups. Low S-CXI was significantly associated with shorter recurrence-free survival (P=0.02) and overall survival (P=0.013). Multivariate analysis demonstrated that low S-CXI remained independently associated with both recurrence (HR 1.81, P=0.045) and mortality (HR 2.16, P=0.033); lymph-node metastasis was also associated with mortality. P-CXI was not associated with outcomes.
Conclusions:
Pre-treatment S-CXI showed potential prognostic value for survival in patients with PDAC undergoing NAC followed by resection. This simple index may help identify high-risk patients who could benefit from perioperative multidisciplinary interventions. Prospective validation is warranted.
