A practical measurement of thoracic sarcopenia: correlation with clinical parameters and outcomes in advanced lung cancer

TABLE 1

Associations between each 10 cm²·m⁻² increase in tSMI or lSMI and death, NRS breathlessness, post-6MWT breathlessness (Borg) and 6MWT distance^#

	tSMI	lSMI
Subjects n	86	50
Death hazard ratio (95% CI)	0.94 (0.70–1.26)	0.97 (0.57–1.64)
Breathlessness (0–10, NRS)	0.08 (p=0.80)	0.82 (p=0.18)
Exertional breathlessness (Borg)	0.02 (p=0.96)	0.56 (p=0.42)
6MWT distance m	−0.57 (p=0.96)	−18.1 (p=0.54)

Data are presented as β-coefficients, unless otherwise stated. tSMI: thorax skeletal muscle index; lSMI: lumber skeletal muscle index; NRS: numerical rating scale; 6MWT: 6-min walk test. ^#: adjusted for age, sex, pack-years of smoking, presence of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and handgrip weakness.