Predicting Postoperative Pneumonia in Esophageal Cancer Patients

Sarcopenia, a condition involving muscle loss, is common in esophageal cancer patients. This study delved into how sarcopenia, particularly during neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC), affects postoperative complications, especially postoperative pneumonia (PP). By analyzing 113 patients, they found that the criteria of the modified European Working Group on Sarcopenia in Older People (EWGSOP) before NAC had high sensitivity (100%) and reasonable specificity (75.8%) in predicting PP. Low body mass index and %vc before NAC were significantly linked to sarcopenia by the modified EWGSOP criteria. Ultimately, pre-NAC sarcopenia was a crucial predictor of postoperative pneumonia, suggesting the need for targeted interventions to prevent PP in these patients.