The definition of sarcopenia assessed by computed tomography (CT) varies among different reports, and few studies have examined the effect of muscle mass loss on the prognosis of post-hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT). We retrospectively evaluated 172 patients who underwent an initial allogeneic HCT for acute leukemia at our institution. They were divided into 3 groups according to muscle mass measured at the third lumbar vertebra as assessed by CT. Patients with low muscle mass had a worse performance status, higher comorbidity index and higher disease risk. There was a significant difference in 2-year overall survival between the 3 groups, and worse overall survival (OS) was associated with lower muscle mass (p = 0.005). Muscle mass loss did not affect non-relapse mortality (p = 0.238) but was significantly associated with relapse (p = 0.067). Pre-transplant muscle mass loss may therefore reflect a poor prognosis for the primary disease.
Keywords: CT; Sarcopenia; allo-HCT; skeletal muscle mass loss.