Muscle mass and physical function in patients with bladder cancer-Data from a prematurely terminated prospective cohort study.
Lise Høj Omland, Gunn Ammitzbøll, Cecilia Margareta Lund and 4 others
PMID 36275921WHAT IT FOUND
No patients met standard sarcopenia criteria, but 64% had slow walking speed.
Slow walking appeared more common than low muscle mass or strength, suggesting standard tests may miss functional decline in bladder cancer patients.
Key findings
01None of the 14 patients met the European Working Group on Sarcopenia in Older People (EWGSOP2) criteria for sarcopenia.
02When compared to healthy age-matched individuals, 64% of patients had reduced gait speed.
03The majority of patients completed planned treatment, but 71% had dose reductions and 57% had delayed cycles.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTsWhat it means for OTs
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What it does not show
The study was prematurely terminated with only 14 of 30 planned patients, making the results descriptive rather than conclusive. Only two patients completed follow-up measurements, so changes during treatment could not be reported. The study was conducted during the COVID-19 pandemic, which caused logistical challenges and facility closures, affecting recruitment. The authors note that standard EWGSOP2 criteria, designed for age-related sarcopenia, may not be suitable for detecting cancer-related muscle loss.
Declared interests
The authors declared no conflicts of interest. The study was approved by the Regional Ethical Committee and registered in clinicaltrials.gov.
The easy way to misread this
Do not assume that a patient with normal muscle mass and strength scores is free of sarcopenia or functional decline. In this small cohort, no patients met standard sarcopenia criteria, yet 64% had significantly reduced walking speed compared to healthy peers.