Sarcopenia as a predictor of complications in penile cancer patients undergoing inguinal lymph node dissection

Lymphadenectomy (LND) is part of the surgical management of penile cancer but causes significant perioperative morbidity. We determined whether sarcopenia, a novel marker of nutritional status, is a predictor of postoperative complications after LND.

Seventy-nine patients underwent LND for penile cancer from 1999 to 2014, and 43 had available preoperative abdominal imaging. Skeletal muscle index (SMI) was calculated on axial computed tomography images at the third lumbar vertebrae, and an SMI of 55 cm²/m² was used to classify patients as sarcopenic versus not. This classification was then correlated with postoperative complications and survival.

Median lumbar SMI was 54.7 cm²/m² with 22 (51.2 %) patients categorized as sarcopenic versus 21 (48.8 %) who were not. Twenty-seven postoperative complications occurred in 20 patients within 30 days, of which 11 (40.7 %) were major (Clavien score ≥IIIa) and 16 (59.3 %) were minor. The most common complications were wound dehiscence (25.9 %), wound infection (18.5 %), lymphocele (18.5 %), and flap necrosis (14.8 %). On univariate analysis, the presence of sarcopenia, nodal disease, and lymphovascular invasion were predictors of postoperative complications. On multivariate analysis, only sarcopenia was an independent predictor of 30-day complications [p = 0.038; 95 % confidence interval (CI) 1.1–21.1]. Although sarcopenia was not statistically associated with worse overall survival (OS), there was a trend toward poorer outcomes in these patients.

Sarcopenia can be a useful prognostic tool to predict the likelihood of postoperative complications after LND for penile cancer. Preoperative nutritional supplementation may help reduce complication rates in the future.