RESUMO
Background/Aim: We determined the impact of sarcopenia on the treatment outcomes of malignant bone and soft tissue tumors in elderly patients. Patients and Methods: We retrospectively reviewed 76 patients (age ≥65 years) who were treated for malignant bone and soft tissue tumors. Sarcopenia was assessed by measuring the cross-sectional area of the psoas muscles at the L3 vertebra from preoperative computed tomography images and categorized using the total psoas area/m 2 (TPA/m 2 ) ≤5.0 cm 2 /m 2 . The patients' clinical data were then evaluated. Results: The operation time, length of hospital stay, and median overall survival were not different between the sarcopenia (n=41) and no-sarcopenia (n=35) groups. The local recurrence rate (p=0.01) and incidence of postoperative complications (p=0.02) significantly differed between both groups. The TPA/m 2 of both groups significantly decreased at the final follow-up. Conclusion: Sarcopenia negatively influenced wound healing and local recurrence, and was significantly exacerbated postoperatively in all elderly patients.
