Sarcopenia , as defined by reduced muscle mass alone , was found to be very prevalent in patients with lung cancer , regardless of body mass index , and where present was associated with poorer functional status and overall survival .
The effect of nutritional supplements and ATP infusions on muscle mass showed conflicting results .
There are very limited data on the correlation between degree of sarcopenia and muscle function , which has a non-linear relationship in older non-cancer population s. CONCLUSIONS Loss of muscle mass is a significant contributor to morbidity in patients with lung cancer .
OBJECTIVES There is growing awareness of the relationship between sarcopenia ( loss of muscle mass and function ) , and outcomes in cancer , making it a potential target for future therapies .
In order to inform future research and practice , we undertook a systematic review of factors associated with loss of muscle mass , and the relationship between muscle function and muscle mass in lung cancer , a common condition associated with poor outcomes .
Why Do Some Lung Cancer Patients Receive No Anticancer Treatment?
Introduction : A significant proportion of lung cancer patients receive no anticancer treatment . This varies from 19 % in USA , 33 % in Australia , 37 % in Scotl and , and 50 % in Irel and . The aim of this study was to identify the reasons behind this . Methods : The Lung Cancer Multidisciplinary Meeting ( MDM ) in South-West Sydney prospect ively collects data on all patients presented . All new lung cancer patients presented between December 1 , 2005 , and December 31 , 2007 , were review ed . Patients were assigned optimal treatment based on evidence -based guidelines . Those patients in whom guidelines recommended no treatment ( GNT ) were compared with those whom the MDM recommended no treatment ( MNT ) and with those who actually received no treatment ( ANT ) . Results : There were 335 patients with a median age of 69 years . A total of 82 % had non-small cell lung cancer , 14 % had small cell lung cancer , and 4 % had no pathologic diagnosis . Eighty-five percent had locally advanced or metastatic disease .  GNT was recommended in 4 % ( n = 13 ) , MNT in 10 % ( n = 32 ) but ANT comprised 20 % ( n = 66 ) . The differences between GNT and MNT were mainly due to patient comorbidities and clinician decision , but the differences between MNT and ANT were due to patient preference and declining performance status . In multivariate analysis , older age , poorer Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group status , non-small cell lung cancer , and non-English language predicted for ANT . Conclusions : The proportion of patients with lung cancer receiving no treatment  is greater than that predicted by guidelines or recommended by the MDM but lower than that described in population -based studies suggesting that MDMs can improve treatment utilization in lung cancer
Sarcopenia , as defined by reduced muscle mass alone , was found to be very prevalent in patients with lung cancer , regardless of body mass index , and where present was associated with poorer functional status and overall survival .
The effect of nutritional supplements and ATP infusions on muscle mass showed conflicting results .
There are very limited data on the correlation between degree of sarcopenia and muscle function , which has a non-linear relationship in older non-cancer population s. CONCLUSIONS Loss of muscle mass is a significant contributor to morbidity in patients with lung cancer .
OBJECTIVES There is growing awareness of the relationship between sarcopenia ( loss of muscle mass and function ) , and outcomes in cancer , making it a potential target for future therapies .
In order to inform future research and practice , we undertook a systematic review of factors associated with loss of muscle mass , and the relationship between muscle function and muscle mass in lung cancer , a common condition associated with poor outcomes .