Background: Malnutrition and sarcopenia affect clinical outcomes and treatment response in cancer patients. Patients with neuroendocrine neoplasms (NENs) may present with additional symptoms related to tumor localization in the gastrointestinal tract and hormone secretion, increasing the risk and effects of sarcopenia.
Aim: To explore the presence of malnutrition and sarcopenia in gastroenteropancreatic (GEP)-NEN patients, their relation to tumor characteristics, patient outcomes, survival and the molecular expression of ghrelin system components in the tumor.
Patients and methods: One-hundred-and-four patients were included. Anthropometric, biochemical and CT-scans at diagnosis were evaluated. The expression levels of key ghrelin system components were assessed in 63 tumor samples.
Results: Nutritional parameters were similar in GEP-NEN tumors of different origin. Relapsed disease was associated with decreased BMI. Patients who presented with weight loss at diagnosis had significantly lower overall survival (108 (25-302) vs. 263 (79-136) months). Ghrelin O-acyltransferase (GOAT) enzyme expression was higher in these patients. The prevalence of sarcopenia using CT images reached 87.2%. Mortality was observed only in patients with sarcopenia. Muscle evaluation was correlated with biochemical parameters but not with the expression of ghrelin system components.
Conclusion: Survival is related to the nutritional status of patients with GEP-NENs and also to the molecular expression of some relevant ghrelin system components. Routine nutritional evaluation should be performed in these patients, in order to prescribe appropriate nutritional support, when necessary, for increasing quality of life and improving clinical outcomes.
Keywords: CT scan; NENs; ghrelin system; nutrition; outcome; sarcopenia.