Prevalence of sarcopenic obesity in patients with gastric cancer and effects on adverse outcomes: A meta-analysis and systematic review.

Purpose: To assess the prevalence of sarcopenic obesity in patients with gastric cancer and its impact on adverse outcomes.

Methods: A computerized search of PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Library, Web of Science, and CINAHL databases was performed to search for articles related to sarcopenic obesity in patients with gastric cancer. The search was conducted until June 16, 2024, from the date of the creation of the database.

Results: A total of sixteen studies were included, including fifteen cohort studies and one cross-sectional study involving 4087 patients. The results of the meta-analysis showed that the prevalence of sarcopenic obesity in gastric cancer patients was 16.3 % (95 % CI: 12.2 %-20.4 %). Sarcopenic obesity significantly shortened the overall survival of gastric cancer patients (HR = 1.64, 95 % CI: 1.20 to 2.25, P = 0.002) and increased the risk of postoperative significant complications (OR = 2.84, 95 % CI: 1.95 to 4.16, P < 0.001), severe complications (OR = 2.60, 95 % CI: 1.45 to 4.64, P = 0.001), surgical site infection (OR = 3.82, 95 % CI: 1.47 to 9.89, P = 0.006), and mortality (OR = 4.84, 95 % CI: 1.38 to 17.02, P = 0.014), but no significant effect on 30-day readmission (OR = 1.90, 95 % CI: 0.31 to 11.84, P = 0.491).

Conclusions: The prevalence of sarcopenic obesity is high in patients with gastric cancer and is strongly associated with poor postoperative outcomes. Healthcare providers should evaluate patients with gastric cancer for sarcopenic obesity early to prevent or reduce the incidence of adverse outcomes.