Prevalence and related factors of sarcopenia in newly diagnosed cancer patients

Introduction Sarcopenia is defined as the loss of muscle mass and muscular functioning. Although sarcopenia prevalence is highly variable in the literature, pre-chemotherapy sarcopenia prevalence was not well studied in newly diagnosed cancer patients. In this context, the present study aims to determine the prevalence of sarcopenia and its related factors in this population. Material and methods Prospectively, newly diagnosed cancer patients were evaluated for body composition measurement and muscle strength by employing the bioelectric impedance analysis method and handgrip dynamometer tool. Results A total of 461 patients were included in the study. The median age of patients was 59 years (range 18–83) and 258 patients (56%) were women. Sarcopenia was present in 77 patients (16.7%) and was at significantly higher frequencies in men ( p = 0.015), advanced age (≥ 65 years, p = 0.014), lower body mass index (BMI