The following is a summary of “Muscle mass cross-sectional area is associated with survival outcomes in malignant pleural disease related to lung cancer,” published in the July 2023 issue of Pulmonology by Meggyesy, et al.

Malignant pleural effusions are a common occurrence in advanced malignancies, and they are often associated with poor overall survival rates. Sarcopenia, characterized by a decrease in muscle mass, has been linked to unfavorable outcomes in various diseases, but its relationship to malignant pleural disease remains unclear. For a study, researchers sought to explore whether a correlation exists between reduced survival and decreased muscle mass in patients with malignant pleural effusion.

They conducted a retrospective review of patients with malignant pleural disease who underwent indwelling tunneled pleural catheter placement. Cross-sectional areas of the pectoralis and paraspinous muscle were calculated based on computed tomography scans. Overall survival and associations with muscle mass were analyzed.

A total of 309 patients were included in the analysis, with a median age of 67 years, and the majority were female (58%). The median survival from initial pleural drainage to death was 129 days. Regression and Kaplan-Meier survival analyses did not reveal a significant association between survival and muscle mass in the entire population. However, when focusing on the patients with the lung cancer subgroup, Kaplan-Meier survival analysis indicated that reduced muscle mass was associated with decreased survival time.

In patients with lung cancer and malignant pleural effusions, decreased muscle mass was associated with reduced survival time. However, within a heterogeneous population of malignant pleural disease, decreased muscle mass was not associated with decreased overall survival time. Further investigation into the role of sarcopenia in malignant pleural disease was warranted.

Source: resmedjournal.com/article/S0954-6111(23)00259-7/fulltext