Preoperative Sarcopenia Predicts Poor Prognosis in Gastric Cancer

Preoperative sarcopenia is significantly associated with lower overall survival (OS) and relapse-free survival (RFS) in patients with gastric cancer. A retrospective study of 781 gastric cancer patients who underwent radical gastrectomy revealed that preoperative sarcopenia is an independent risk factor for 10-year OS and RFS. Patients with sarcopenia had a higher risk of death and recurrence within the first postoperative year. However, postoperative adjuvant chemotherapy significantly improved the long-term outcomes of stage II-III patients with sarcopenia.