Accelerated losses in differing sarcopenia measures existed both prior to and after cancer diagnosis in older adults, according to a recent study published in JAMA Network Open.
More, these findings may present opportunities to improve outcomes via targeted interventions moving forward.
“This study affords a rare glimpse of sarcopenia indices both before and after cancer diagnosis compared with a population without cancer,” wrote the researchers. “Accelerated loses in gait speed prior to cancer diagnosis and accelerated loses in (appendicular lean mass) after cancer diagnosis suggest that a cancer diagnosis does affect age-related losses in some sarcopenia indices.”
Of the total sample, 515 patients developed cancer within the first 7 years of the study. Of those developments, the most common cancers were prostate (n = 117; 23.2%), colorectal (n = 63; 12.5%), lung (n = 61; 12.1%),…