Previous studies have revealed that sarcopenia, defined as generalized loss of skeletal muscle mass, is a poor prognostic factor following surgery. However, research focusing on postoperative muscle wasting and its influence on the prognosis of resectable pancreatic cancer (PC) is limited. Investigators retrospectively reviewed 208 patients who underwent pancreatectomy for PC at the National Cheng Kung University Hospital (NCKUH) between June 2002 and April 2020. Clinical information regarding patient characteristics, pathological parameters, and biochemical features was collected from all patients using electronic medical records (EMRs) under an IRB-approved protocol (B-ER-110-420) at NCKUH. Preoperative psoas major area and the degree of muscle reduction at 3 months postoperatively were calculated using computed tomography to define sarcopenia and drastic muscle wasting. Patients were assigned to two groups based on sarcopenia or drastic muscle wasting, and compared for postoperative morbidity, disease free survival (DFS), and overall survival (OS).
