Severe postoperative muscle loss links to poor outcomes in gastric cancer

A systematic review and meta-analysis revealed that 25.7% of gastric cancer patients experience severe postoperative skeletal muscle loss, which significantly correlates with poorer overall survival (OS), recurrence-free survival (RFS), disease-free survival (DFS), and disease-specific survival (DSS). Results indicate a hazard ratio of 2.27 for OS and 4.12 for DSS, highlighting the urgency for nutritional and exercise interventions for patients suffering muscle loss post-surgery to improve their survival outcomes.