Low muscle mass, density linked to shorter survival in DLBCL

(HealthDay)—For patients with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL), the combination of low muscle mass (LMM) and low muscle density (LMD) is an independent prognostic factor for survival, according to a study published in the July issue of Leukemia & Lymphoma.

Hánah N. Rier, M.D., from Albert Schweitzer Hospital in Dordrecht, Netherlands, and colleagues examined the association of LMM and LMD with survival in 164 patients with DLBCL. Computed tomography-based measurement of muscle was performed before chemoimmunotherapy. Z-scores adjusted for gender, age, and body mass index were derived from a healthy reference population; a Z-score less than −1 was used to define LMM or LMD.

The researchers found that LMM and LMD were associated with overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS). In 13 percent of patients, there was coexistence of both LMM and LMD, which was significantly associated with shorter OS and PFS (multivariable hazard ratios, 2.42 and 2.16, respectively). These patients did not complete the planned treatment more often (multivariable odds ratio, 2.84).

"The presence of LMM and LMD was not related to preexisting comorbidities or unfavorable lymphoma characteristics, indicating that the combination of LMM and LMD is a lymphoma-independent risk factor for shorter survival, possibly because it more often results in premature termination of chemotherapy," the authors write.

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