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 .
Performance status assessment in cancer patients. An inter-observer variability study.
The ECOG Scale of Performance Status  ( PS ) is widely used to quantify the functional status of cancer patients , and is an important factor determining prognosis in a number of malignant conditions . The PS describes the status of symptoms and functions with respect to ambulatory status and need for care . PS 0 means normal activity , PS 1 means some symptoms , but still near fully ambulatory , PS 2 means less than 50 % , and PS 3 means more than 50 % of daytime in bed , while PS 4 means completely bedridden . An inter-observer variability study of PS assessment has been carried out to evaluate the non-chance agreement among three oncologists rating 100 consecutive cancer patients .  Total unanimity was observed in 40 cases , unanimity between two observers in 53 cases , and total disagreement in seven cases . Kappa statistics reveal the ability of the observers compared to change alone and were used to evaluate non-chance agreement . Overall Kappa was 0.44 , ( 95 % confidence limits 0.38 - 0.51 ) . The Kappa for PS 0 was 0.55 ( 0.44 - 0.67 ) , while those for PS 1 , 2 , 3 and four were 0.48 ( 0.37 - 0.60 ) , 0.31 ( 0.19 - 0.42 ) , 0.43 ( 0.32 - 0.55 ) , and 0.33 ( 0.33 - 0.45 ) , respectively . If one observer allocated patients to PS 0 - 2 , then another r and omly selected observed placed the patients in the same category with a probability of 0.92 . For patients with PS 3 - 4 the probability that the same category would be chosen was 0.82 . Overall , the non-chance agreement between observers was only moderate , when all ECOG Performance Status groups were considered . However , agreement with regard to allocation of patients to PS 0 - 2 versus 3 - 4 was high . This is of interest because this cut-off is often used in clinical studies
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 .