Computed-Tomography Body Composition Analysis Complements Pre-Operative Nutrition Screening in Colorectal Cancer Patients on an Enhanced Recovery after Surgery Pathway

Pre-operative nutrition screening is recommended to identify cancer patients at risk of malnutrition, which is associated with poor outcomes. Low muscle mass (sarcopenia) and lipid infiltration to muscle cells (myosteatosis) are similarly associated with poor outcomes but are not routinely screened for. We investigated the prevalence of sarcopenia and myosteatosis across the nutrition screening triage categories of the Patient-Generated Subjective Global Assessment Short Form (PG-SGA(SF)) in a pre-operative colorectal cancer (CRC) cohort. Data were prospectively collected from patients scheduled for surgery at two sites in Edmonton, Canada. PG-SGA(SF) scores ≥ 4 identified patients at risk for malnutrition; sarcopenia and myosteatosis were identified using computed-tomography (CT) analysis. Patients (n = 176) with a mean age of 63.8 ± 12.0 years, 52.3% male, 90.3% with stage I–III disease were included. Overall, 25.2% had PG-SGA(SF) score ≥ 4. Sarcopenia alone, myosteatosis alone or both were identified in 14.0%, 27.3%, and 6.4% of patients, respectively. Sarcopenia and/or myosteatosis were identified in 43.4% of those with PG-SGA(SF) score < 4 and in 58.5% of those with score ≥ 4. Overall, 32.9% of the cohort had sarcopenia and/or myosteatosis with PG-SGA(SF) score < 4. CT-defined sarcopenia and myosteatosis are prevalent in pre-operative CRC patients, regardless of the presence of traditional nutrition risk factors (weight loss, problems eating); therefore, CT image analysis effectively adds value to nutrition screening by identifying patients with other risk factors for poor outcomes.