Association of SARC-F and dissociation of SARC-F + calf circumference with comorbidities in older hospitalized cancer patients.

The Strength, Assistance for walking, Rise from a chair, Climb stairs and Falls (SARC-F) score is a tool recommended for screening the risk of sarcopenia in older patients. However, the association between SARC-F or SARC-F + calf circumference (SARC-F + CC) and the Charlson Comorbidity Index (CCI) in hospitalized older cancer patients is not fully understood. Thus, our aim is to evaluate the association between the SARC-F or SARC-F + CC and the presence of comorbidities and risk of death in older hospitalized cancer patients. A cross-sectional study involving 90 (42 M/48F) hospitalized cancer patients over 60 years old with ongoing chemotherapy or surgical treatment is carried out. The SARC-F is performed to assess the muscle function loss (MFL if SARC-F ≥ 4), sarcopenia (SARC-F ≥ 6) and sarcopenia using the calf circumference (SARC-F + CC ≥11). CC is assessed using an inelastic tape. The CCI is used to assess the presence of comorbidities. Logistic regression is used to evaluate the association between the SARC-F and Charlson Comorbidity Index. Mean of age is 67.8 years and half (49%) of the patients present MFL (SARC-F ≥ 4), 31% present sarcopenia using the SARC-F ≥ 6 and 60% using the SARC-F + calf circumference ≥ 11. Although no association in the crude model, there is association after adjusting by age, sex, alcohol use, smoking habit, physical activity, use of oral nutritional supplementation, body mass index, performance status, tumor, and treatment type between SARC-F ≥ 4 or ≥ 6 and CCI (SARC-F ≥ 4 × CCI: OR: 2.31 [95%CI: 1.02-5.23], p = 0.04) and (SARC-F ≥ 6 × CCI: OR: 3.24 [95%CI: 1.21-8.65], p = 0.01), respectively. However, this association is lost when using the SARC-F + calf circumference (SARC-F + CC ≥11 × CCI: OR: 1.12 [95%CI: 0.63-1.90], p = 0.68). In conclusion, screening for the risk of sarcopenia in older cancer patients is highly recommended as sarcopenia is tightly associated with the clinical outcome. The use of the SARC-F score using a cut-off ≥4 or ≥ 6 is more relevant for clinical practice to detect comorbidities and risk of death than the use of SARC-F with the calf circumference.

Mainardi LG ，Borges TC ，Gomes TLN ，Pichard C ，Laviano A ，Pimentel GD ... -  《-》

Sarcopenia as a predictor of nutritional status and comorbidities in hospitalized patients with cancer: A cross-sectional study.

Sarcopenia promotes worsening of nutritional status and an increase in comorbidities. Likewise, use of validated instruments to assess nutritional and comorbidity factors are warranted. Thus, the objectives were to assess the prevalence of risk for sarcopenia and to determine whether there is an association between sarcopenia and nutritional status and comorbidities in hospitalized patients with cancer. This was a cross-sectional study with 77 patients with different types of cancer. Both men and women were enrolled. The risk for sarcopenia was assessed by the Strength, Assistance With Walking, Rise From a Chair, Climb Stairs, and Falls (SARC-F) questionnaire. Patients were divided into two groups: risk for sarcopenia (SARC-F score ≥4) and no risk for sarcopenia (SARC-F score <4). The presence of comorbidities and nutritional risks were analyzed using Charlson Comorbidity Index (CCI) and Nutrition Risk Screening 2002 (NRS-2002), respectively. Logistic and multiple regression analyses were used to verify the association and predictive factors of SARC-F. Of the 77 patients, 40.2% (n = 31; 63.48 ± 10.59 y of age) were classified as having a risk for sarcopenia and 59.7% (n = 46; 51.20 ± 12.81 y of age) without risk. We found an association between the risk for sarcopenia and CCI and NRS-2002 in crude model and after adjustment for age. Additionally, SARC-F is a good predictor of the increase of CCI (β = 0.357, R² = 0.29, P = 0.003) and NRS-2002 (β = 0.519, R² = 0.49, P < 0.001). In the present study, ∼40% of patients with cancer had a risk for sarcopenia and a greater prediction for nutritional risk (49%) and comorbidities (29%).

Borges TC ，Gomes TLN ，Pimentel GD 《-》

Comparison of Three Screening Methods for Sarcopenia in Community-Dwelling Older Persons.

The 2019 Asian Working Group on Sarcopenia in Older People (AWGS 2019) recommends using either calf circumference or the strength, assistance in walking, rising from a chair, climbing stairs, and falls (SARC-F) or SARC-F combined with calf circumference (SARC-CalF) questionnaires for sarcopenia screening. The aim of this study was to compare the ability and applicability of calf circumference, SARC-F, and SARC-CalF for screening sarcopenia among community-dwelling older adults. Cross-sectional study. A total of 1050 community-dwelling older people were enrolled. Sarcopenia was diagnosed according to the AWGS 2019 criteria: bioimpedance analysis for appendicular skeletal muscle index, hand grip, and 6-m gait speed test. Participants also completed the SARC-F questionnaire and calf circumference measurement. The screening tools' performances were evaluated through receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves, area under the ROC curves (AUC), and sensitivity/specificity analyses. Sarcopenia was identified in 263 (25.0%) participants by the AWGS 2019 criteria. Calf circumference had a sensitivity of 81.4% and a specificity of 77.0%. Sensitivity and specificity of SARC-F for screening sarcopenia were 17.9% and 93.7%, respectively. SARC-CalF improved the sensitivity of SARC-F (47.5%) while keeping similar specificity (92.0%). The AUCs of calf circumference, SARC-F, and SARC-CalF were 0.79 [95% confidence interval (CI), 0.77-0.82], 0.56 (95% CI, 0.52-0.59), and 0.70 (95% CI, 0.67-0.73), respectively. The differences across ROC curves were statistically significant among 3 screening tools (P < .001). The overall screening ability of calf circumference was better than that of SARC-F and SARC-CalF for sarcopenia in community-dwelling older persons despite gender, age, and cognitive function. SARC-F and SARC-CalF have high specificity but are susceptible to the preceding factors.

Mo YH ，Zhong J ，Dong X ，Su YD ，Deng WY ，Yao XM ，Liu BB ，Wang XQ ，Wang XH ... -  《-》

Evaluation of Four Methods for the Assessment of Sarcopenia in Older Adults in Nursing Homes.

Lin X ，Li M ，Li Z ，Zhu L ，Liu L ，Chen X ... -  《-》

A Comparison of SARC-F, Calf Circumference, and Their Combination for Sarcopenia Screening among Patients Undergoing Peritoneal Dialysis.

Lin YL ，Wang CH ，Tsai JP ，Chen CT ，Chen YH ，Hung SC ，Hsu BG ... -  《Nutrients》