Abstract
Tumor cachexia is an autonomous syndrome in oncological underlying disease, which is associated with a loss of skeletal muscle mass, also known as sarcopenia. It is the cause of approximately 20% of all tumor-related deaths. Also in gynecological oncology, the prognostic significance of muscle loss in tumor diseases is an important subject of clinical research. The aim of this article is to show the impact of cachexia and sarcopenia on the prognosis and treatment in oncology, in particular for gynecological diseases, by a review of the literature. In this respect the prevalence varies between 11% for ovarian cancer and 58% for breast cancer. A search for the literature was performed on PubMed using the search terms “cancer cachexia” and “sarcopenia” alone or in combination with “gynecological cancer”, “ovarian cancer” or “breast cancer”. Own investigations on the prognostic significance of sarcopenia in ovarian cancer were included. Muscle loss seems to be a negative prognostic factor also in gynecological oncology in terms of survival and success of treatment. Shortened progression-free and overall survival have been reported in early and metastatic breast cancer and in ovarian cancer. Patients with endometrial cancer showed a shortened progression-free survival. Sarcopenic patients with breast and ovarian cancer showed an increased incidence of side effects of systemic therapy. Sarcopenia is a serious problem in gynecological oncology. Screening at initial diagnosis can enable a timely intervention and improved risk stratification with respect to surgery and chemotherapy.
| Translated title of the contribution | Sarcopenia and cachexia: impact on prognosis an treatment |
|---|---|
| Original language | German |
| Pages (from-to) | 508-512 |
| Number of pages | 5 |
| Journal | Gynakologe |
| Volume | 52 |
| Issue number | 7 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - 1 Jul 2019 |
| Externally published | Yes |
