The role of sarcopenia in pre- and postoperative inflammation: implications of outcomes in patients with colorectal cancer.

BACKGROUND

Patients with colorectal cancer (CRC) with sarcopenia often have a poor prognosis, and the timing of preoperative intervention to improve sarcopenia is unclear. Sarcopenia can affect the body's overall inflammatory status. This study aimed to investigate whether sarcopenia exacerbates the inflammatory response in patients with CRC after surgical stimulation and its effect on the prognosis.

METHODS

A retrospective analysis was conducted on a cohort of 215 patients with CRC who were categorized into either the sarcopenia group or the nonsarcopenia group based on their skeletal muscle index values. Inflammation-related indicators were collected from patients before and after surgery, allowing for the calculation of the differences in preoperative and postoperative changes. In addition, the correlation between inflammatory markers and postoperative complications was assessed. All patients were followed up for a period ranging from 2 to 5 years, with an average follow-up duration of 3 years, during which their recurrence and mortality rates were recorded. In addition, the relationship between inflammation indicators was explored.

RESULTS

Of note, 45 of 215 patients with sarcopenia had higher levels of preoperative baseline inflammation markers, such as C-reactive protein (P = .002), immune-inflammation index (IBI; P < .001), systemic inflammatory response index (SIRI; P = .009), and systemic immune-inflammation index (SII; P = .002) than patients without sarcopenia. There was a significant difference in inflammatory indicators before and after surgery between dIBI, dSIRI, and dSII, with the largest effect observed. In addition, the predictive capabilities of dIBI, dSIRI, and dSII for postoperative complications, as measured using the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve, were found to be 0.938, 0.877, and 0.818, respectively. Furthermore, survival analysis indicated that the differences in preoperative and postoperative alterations in IBI (dIBI), SIRI (dSIRI), and SII (dSII) were effective in predicting long-term postoperative mortality.

CONCLUSION

Our findings suggest that sarcopenia plays a significant role in exacerbating postoperative inflammatory response in patients with CRC, leading to an increased risk of postoperative complications and influencing long-term survival outcomes.