Skeletal muscle loss, or sarcopenia, is associated with many clinical conditions, such as cancer, diabetes, acquired immune deficiency syndrome, burns, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, chronic heart failure, chronic renal failure, rheumatoid arthritis and sepsis [1-4]. As metabolic disorders, such as cachexia and sarcopenia, are common conditions in patients with tumors and inflammatory diseases of the pancreas [5-6], we studied the role of CT in assessing sarcopenia in patients with pancreatic cancer and chronic pancreatitis.

We evaluated 49 CT-images of patients with stage II pancreatic cancer and chronic pancreatitis, which underwent operative treatment in 2009-2011. There were 20 patients (Group 1) with pancreatic cancer (9 men and 11 women, age range 47-82 years) and 29 patients (Group 2) with chronic pancreatitis (23 men and 6 women, age range 29-63 years). In all the patients CT was performed for diagnostic and staging purposes, no additional studies were made for body composition assessment. Images were analyzed using commercially available software (Slice-O-Matic V4.3,...

Group 1. 14 of 20 patients with pancreatic cancer were found sarcopenic (70% of group 1 patients, 8/9 men and 6/11 women). Mean value of lumbar skeletal muscle index in this group was 44,7±5,9 cm2/m2 for men and 35,7±3,8 cm2/m2 for women. Mean value of BMI was 25,4±2,5 kg/m². CT images of two patients with pancreatic cancer and different BMI values are shown in Fig. 3 and Fig. 4. First patient (1A-B) had normal BMI and L3 SMI values. In second patient BMI was increased...

CT is a method of choice for diagnostics of pancreatic cancer and inflammatory diseases of the pancreas. It is also a useful tool to evaluate sarcopenia in these patients by using L3 skeletal muscle index, which can be measured using diagnostic CT-scans acquired during the routine care. Sarcopenia is highly prevalent in patients with pancreatic cancer and chronic pancreatitis (66% in our group of patients) and may be present in patients with any BMI values. As metabolic disorders are important factor and are to be...

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