The predictive values of sarcopenia screening tools in preoperative elderly patients with colorectal cancer: applying the diagnostic criteria of EWGSOP2 and AWGS2019

Abstract Background Sarcopenia predicts worse postoperative outcomes and lower survival rates in patients with colorectal cancer (CRC). There is a scarcity of studies on the most effective assessment tools for detecting sarcopenia in preoperative elderly patients with CRC. Our objective was to compa...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Ling Li, Mengchen Xing, Rong Wang, Xiaoyue Ding, Xia Wan, Xin Yu
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: BMC 2025-03-01
Series:BMC Geriatrics
Subjects:
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1186/s12877-025-05806-y
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:Abstract Background Sarcopenia predicts worse postoperative outcomes and lower survival rates in patients with colorectal cancer (CRC). There is a scarcity of studies on the most effective assessment tools for detecting sarcopenia in preoperative elderly patients with CRC. Our objective was to compare the diagnostic accuracy of various tools such as calf circumference (CC), strength, need for assistance with walking, rising from a sitting position, climbing stairs, and the incidence of falls (SARC-F), SARC-F plus CC (SARC-CalF), the short version of mini sarcopenia risk assessment (MSRA-5), the full version of mini sarcopenia risk assessment (MSRA-7), and Ishii score chart in screening sarcopenia in preoperative elderly patients with CRC. Methods During the period of April 2021 to September 2023, we conducted a cross-sectional study involving consecutive elderly patients who were undergoing colorectal surgery. Sarcopenia was defined using the diagnostic criteria proposed by the European Working Group on Sarcopenia in Older People 2 (EWGSOP2) and the 2019 Asian Working Group for Sarcopenia (AWGS2019). The screening tools’ performances were evaluated through receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves, area under the ROC curves (AUC), and sensitivity/specificity analyses, based on the criteria proposed by EWGSOP2 and AWGS2019. Results We enrolled 482 patients with an average age of 71.86 ± 5.60 years. According to the EWGSOP2 and AWGS2019 diagnostic standards, the incidence of sarcopenia was 19.5% and 21.6% respectively. The sensitivity of SARC-F, SARC-CalF, MSRA-5, MSRA-7, and Ishii score chart ranged from 51.92 to 56.38%, 84.62–85.11%, 86.54–88.30%, 65.96–67.31%, and 73.08–74.47% respectively, while the specificity ranged from 84.92 to 85.05%, 70.36–71.69%, 36.86–37.04%, 60.57–61.64%, and 77.32–78.31% respectively. Regardless of the sarcopenia diagnostic criteria used, the AUCs of Ishii score chart (0.87 to 0.88) and SARC-CalF (0.89 to 0.90) were significantly larger than those of other tools (P<0.05). There was no significant difference in AUCs among SARC-F, SARC-CalF, and Ishii score chart in females. Conclusion Among the five sarcopenia screening tools, Ishii score chart and SARC-CalF had the largest overall diagnostic accuracy for sarcopenia in preoperative elderly patients with CRC.
ISSN:1471-2318