Article

OBJECTIVE: To assess the prevalence of sarcopaenia and the association between
sarcopaenia, activities of daily living, and dysphagia in cancer patients who
require rehabilitation. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was performed in 83
consecutive cancer patients referred to the Department of Rehabilitation
Medicine. Skeletal muscle index was calculated as total psoas muscle area
assessed via abdominal computed tomography divided by height squared. Sarcopaenia
was diagnosed using the Asian Working Group for Sarcopenia criteria. Activities
of daily living were evaluated with the Barthel Index. Dysphagia was assessed
with the 10-item Eating Assessment Tool (EAT-10). RESULTS: Study participants
were 50 males and 33 females (mean age 71, standard deviation 12 years).
Sarcopaenia was observed in 66 (80%) patients. The median Barthel Index score was
55 (interquartile range: 25-75). Thirty-five (42%) patients were diagnosed as
having dysphagia. Logistic regression analysis of dysphagia adjusted for
sarcopaenia, Barthel Index score, age, and reason for hospitalization showed that
sarcopaenia (odds ratio (OR) 3.616; 95% confidence interval (95% CI)
0.926-14.114; p = 0.064) and Barthel Index score (OR 0.984; 95% CI 0.966-1.002; p
= 0.073) did not reach statistical significance. CONCLUSION: The prevalence of
sarcopaenia in cancer patients who require rehabilitation is very high. The power
of this study was too low to observe a significant association between
sarcopaenia and dysphagia.

Langue : ANGLAIS