Sarcopenia and Myosteatosis as Prognostic Markers in Patients with Advanced Cholangiocarcinoma Undergoing Palliative Treatment

Background: Cholangiocarcinoma (CCA) represents the second most common primary liver cancer and is characterized by a very poor outcome, but reliable prognostic markers are largely missing. Sarcopenia, the progressive loss of muscle mass and strength, as well as myosteatosis have been associated with an unfavorable outcome in several clinical conditions, including cancer. Here, we evaluated the prognostic relevance of sarcopenia and myosteatosis using routine abdominal CT (computed tomography) scans in advanced stage CCA patients undergoing palliative treatment. Methods: Routine abdominal CT scans were used to assess the skeletal muscle and the psoas muscle index (L3SMI/L3PMI) at the level of the third lumbar vertebra as radiological indices for sarcopenia as well as the mean skeletal muscle attenuation (MMA) as a surrogate for myosteatosis. Results were correlated with clinical data and outcomes. Results: Using a calculated optimal cut-off value of 71.95 mm(2)/cm, CCA patients with an L3SMI value below this cut-off showed a significantly reduced median overall survival (OS) of only 250 days compared to 450 days in patients with a higher L3SMI. Moreover, the median OS of CCA patients with an L3PMI above 6345 mm(2)/cm was 552 days compared to 252 days in patients with a lower L3PMI. Finally, CCA patients with an MMA above 30.51 Hounsfield Units survived significantly longer (median OS: 430 days) compared to patients with an MMA value below this ideal cut-off (median OS: 215 days). The prognostic relevance of L3SMI, L3PMI, and MMA was confirmed in uni- and multivariate Cox regression analyses. Conclusion: Routine abdominal CT scans represent a unique opportunity to evaluate sarcopenia as well as myosteatosis in advanced CCA patients. We identified the L3SMI/L3PMI as well as the MMA as negative prognostic factors in CCA patients undergoing palliative therapy, arguing that the “opportunistic” evaluation of these parameters might yield important clinical information in daily routine.