The Impact of Sarcopenia on Postoperative Outcomes in Colorectal Cancer Surgery: An Updated Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Sarcopenia is thought to be a marker for underlying frailty and malnutrition, contributing to poor functional status and suboptimal healing postoperatively. We aimed to complete an updated systematic review and meta-analysis evaluating the impact of sarcopenia on short- and long-term outcomes following colorectal cancer surgery. We searched MEDLINE, Embase, and CENTRAL up to September 2023. Studies that compared sarcopenic and non-sarcopenic patients’ short- and long-term outcomes following curative intent elective surgery for colorectal cancer were included. The main outcomes included postoperative morbidity, postoperative mortality, and length of stay (LOS), among others. Inverse variance random effects meta-analyses was performed. Risk of bias was assessed with Cochrane tools. Certainty of evidence was assessed with GRADE. After screening 215 studies, we included 40 non-randomized studies, totalling 13,422 patients, of which 5,432 (40.4%) were classified as sarcopenic. Across 27 studies, patients with sarcopenia were more likely to experience 30-day postoperative morbidity (40% vs 33%, RR 1.30, 95% CI 1.12-1.50, P < 0.01, I 2 79%). The mean LOS was 1.46 days longer for sarcopenic patients (26 studies, 95% CI 0.85-2.07, P < 0.01, I 2 82%). Upon pooling data from 13 studies, sarcopenic patients had increased risk of 30-day postoperative mortality (2.8% vs 1.0%, RR 2.74, 95% CI 1.63-4.62, P < 0.01, I 2 0%). The findings from this systematic review suggest with low to very-low certainty evidence that in patients who are undergoing curative intent surgery for colorectal cancer, preoperative sarcopenia is associated with poor postoperative outcomes.