Sarcopenia and myosteatosis are associated with low survival in patients receiving lenvatinib for unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma.

PURPOSE: To investigate the association of skeletal muscle mass and quality with survival outcomes in patients with advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) treated with lenvatinib (LEN).

METHODS

In this retrospective study, LEN-treated patients with HCC were enrolled. Sarcopenia and myosteatosis were evaluated on the basis of baseline skeletal muscle index and mean muscle attenuation, respectively, on computed tomography at the L3 level. Low skeletal muscle mass (LSMM) was determined on the basis of index value, and bioinformatics tools were used to determine reliable cutoff values. Myosteatosis was defined on the basis of mean Hounsfield unit values and predefined cutoff values. A logrank test and Cox proportional hazards model were used to compare overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS).

RESULTS

A total of 81 patients were included. Patients with LSMM exhibited significantly lower PFS (p = 0.003) and OS (p = 0.010) than did patients without LSMM. Patients with myosteatosis exhibited significantly lower PFS (p = 0.012) and OS (p < 0.001) than did patients without myosteatosis. In multivariate analysis adjusted for tumor extent and liver function reserve, LSMM and myosteatosis remained independent predictors of low PFS (p = 0.028, p = 0.031) and OS (p = 0.027, p = 0.001), respectively.

CONCLUSION

LSMM and myosteatosis are independent prognostic factors for PFS and OS in advanced patients with HCC who received LEN and may exert synergistic effects on these survival outcomes.