Sarcopenia predicts worse postoperative outcomes and decreased survival rates in patients with colorectal cancer: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Purpose Previous studies have shown an association of sarcopenia with adverse short- and long-term outcomes in multiple gastrointestinal cancer types. We aimed to investigate the prognostic value of sarcopenia on the postoperative outcomes and survival rates of patients with colorectal cancer (CRC). Methods A systematic literature search was performed using the PubMed, Embase, Cochrane, Google Scholar, and Scopus databases. We included studies that compared postoperative outcomes or survival rates in sarcopenic and non-sarcopenic patients with CRC. Results A total of 44 observational studies, comprising 18,891 patients, were included. The pooled prevalence of sarcopenia was 37% ( n = 7009). The pooled analysis revealed an association between sarcopenia and higher risk of total postoperative complications (23 studies, OR = 1.84; 95% CI 1.35–2.49), postoperative severe complications (OR = 1.72; 95% CI 1.10–2.68), postoperative mortality (OR = 3.21; 95% CI 2.01–5.11), postoperative infections (OR = 1.40; 95% CI 1.12–1.76), postoperative cardiopulmonary complications (OR = 2.92; 95% CI 1.96–4.37), and prolonged length of stay (MD = 0.77; 95% CI 0.44–1.11) after colorectal cancer surgery. However, anastomotic leakage showed comparable occurrence between sarcopenic and non-sarcopenic patients (OR = 0.99; 95% CI 0.72 to 1.36). Regarding survival outcomes, sarcopenic patients had significantly shorter overall survival (25 studies, HR = 1.83; 95% CI = 1.57–2.14), disease-free survival (HR = 1.55; 95% CI = 1.29–1.88), and cancer-specific survival (HR = 1.77; 95% CI 1.40–2.23) as compared with non-sarcopenic patients. Conclusion Among patients with colorectal cancer, sarcopenia is a strong predictor of increased postoperative complications and worse survival outcomes.