Table 1 Characteristics of studies included in meta-analysis

First author

Year

Study design

Region

Diagnosed period

Sample size

Female%

Median/mean age

Main Treatment

Original cancer type

Cancer metastases

Lee, J. H

2021

Retrospective cohort study

Korea

2018 to 2021

70

0

66

Chemotherapy

Hormone-sensitive prostate cancer

Bone, lung, liver, pleura, adrenal gland, peritoneum, ureter

Lee, C. H

2021

Retrospective cohort study

Korea

2010 to 2017

78

24.4

61

Chemotherapy

Renal cell carcinoma

NR

Haik

2021

Retrospective cohort study

France

2013 to 2017

261

24

61.9 (mean)

Immunity therapy

Head, lung, renal, bladder cancer

Liver, lung, bone, brain

Gallois

2021

Retrospective cohort study

France

2013 to 2016

149

67

NR

Chemotherapy

Colorectal cancer

NR

Chang

2021

Retrospective cohort study

China

2007 to 2018

109

42.2

60.9 (mean)

Chemotherapy

Gastrointestinal stromal tumor

Liver

Catanese

2021

Retrospective cohort study

Italy

2010 to 2017

78

28.2

67

Chemotherapy

Esophago–gastric junction cancer, proximal gastric cancer, distal gastric cancer

Liver, lung, lymph nodes, peritoneum, bone

Yamazaki

2020

Retrospective cohort study

Japan

2015 to 2019

54

64.81

66.5

Chemotherapy

Thyroid cancer

Liver, lung, bone, brain, lymph node

Shimizu

2020

Retrospective cohort study

Japan

2017 to 2019

29

15

73

Chemotherapy

Bladder tumor, upper tract urothelial carcinoma

Liver, lung, lymph nodes, bone

Lee, B. M

2020

Retrospective cohort study

Korea

2007 to 2016

353

42.5

67

Chemotherapy

Gall bladder, intrahepatic bile duct, non-hilar bile duct, perihilar bile duct, ampullary cancer

NR

da Cunha

2019

Retrospective cohort study

Brazil

2009 to 2015

72

44.4

59.4 (mean)

Surgery and chemotherapy

Colorectal cancer

Peritoneum and other organs

Franzoi

2020

Retrospective cohort study

Belgium

2016 to 2019

50

100

61.2 (mean)

Chemotherapy

Breast cancer

Visceral disease, bone only or locorregional

Palleschi

2022

Retrospective cohort study

Italy

2009 to 2020

43

100

58

Chemotherapy

Breast cancer

NR

Williet

2021

Retrospective cohort study

France

2012 to 2018

79

45.6

66

Chemotherapy

Pancreatic cancer

NR

Ishihara

2016

Retrospective cohort study

Japan

2007 to 2014

71

29.6

64

Chemotherapy

Renal Cell Carcinoma

NR

Gu

2017

Retrospective cohort study

China

2008 to 2014

101

35.6

59

Chemotherapy

Renal cell carcinoma

NR

Malik

2021

Retrospective cohort study

Poland

2017 to 2020

78

45

64.5

Chemotherapy

Colorectal cancer

Liver, lung, lymph node, peritoneum

First author

Measurements of sarcopenia

Sarcopenia definition

Outcomes (HR, 95% CI)

median/mean Follow-up period

Lee, J. H.

L3-SMI

SMI ≤ 52.4 cm2/m2

PFS(crude HR, 4.73, 1.40–15.96; adjusted HR, 3.77, 0.95–14.99)

20.5 months

Lee, C. H.

L3-SMI

SMI of < 43cm2/m2 and < 53 cm2/m2 for men with a BMI of < 25 kg/m2 and ≥ 25kg/m2, respectively, and < 41 cm2/m2 for women

PFS(crude HR, 3.18, 1.84–5.47; adjusted HR, 2.62, 1.47–4.66)

15.4 months

Haik

L3-SMI

< 41 cm2/m2 for females and < 43 cm2/m2 for males if body mass index (BMI) < 25 kg/m2 or < 53 cm2/m2 if BMI ≥ 25 kg/m2

PFS(adjusted HR, 0.80, 0.60–1.055)

NR

Gallois

L3-SMI

men < 40.3 cm2/m2 and women < 32.0 cm2/m2

PFS(crude HR, 1.5, 1.0−2.2)

23 months

Chang

L3-PMI

< 6.36 cm2/m2 for males and < 3.92 cm2/m2 for females

PFS(adjusted HR, 2.333, 1.251−4.349)

NR

Catanese

L3-SMI

male patients asSMI < 43 cm2/m2 if BMI < 25 kg/m2 and SMI < 53 cm2/m2 if BMI ≥ 25 kg/m2, and infemale patients as SMI < 41 cm2/m2 irrespective of BMI

PFS(crude HR, 0.83, 0.53–1.32)

52.2 months

Yamazaki

L3-SMI

< 42 cm2/m2 for males and < 38 cm2/m2 for females

PFS(adjusted HR, 2.488, 1.058–5.846)

NR

Shimizu

L3-PMI

≤ 6.36 cm2/m2 for men and ≤ 3.92 cm2/m2 for women

PFS(crude HR, 2.99, 1.14–7.85; adjusted HR, 2.79, 1.14–7.32)

7 months

Lee, B. M.

L3-SMI

< 55 cm2/m2 for male and < 39 cm2/m2 for female

PFS(crude HR, 0.75, 0.61–0.93)

7.77 months

da Cunha

L3-SMI

SMI < 41 cm2/m2 for women; SMI < 43 cm2/m2 if BMI < 25 kg/m2 and SMI < 53 cm2/m2 if BMI ≤ 25 kg/m2 for men

PFS(crude HR, 2.34, 1.40–3.93; adjusted HR, 1.78, 1.00–3.14)

23.6 months

Franzoi

L3-SMI

SMI < 40 cm2/m2

PFS(crude HR, 2.52, 1.02–6.19)

14.4 months

Palleschi

L3-SMI

SMI < 40 cm2/m2

PFS(crude HR, 0.98, 0.47–2.03)

33 months

Williet

TPI

< 5.73 cm2/m2 for men and < 4.37 cm2/m2 for women

PFS(crude HR, 2.3, 1.38–3.85; adjusted HR, 2.04, 1.18–3.53)

NR

Ishihara

L3-SMI

men with a BMI of < 25 kg/m2 and SMI < 43 cm2/m2; men with a BMI of > 25 kg/m2 and SMI < 53 cm2/m2; women with SMI < 41 cm2/m2

PFS(crude HR, 3.15, 1.66–6.41; adjusted HR, 2.54, 1.19–5.65)

20.2 months (mean)

Gu

L3-SMI

< 40.8 cm2/m2 for males and < 34.9 cm2/m2 for females

PFS(crude HR, 1.426, 0.880–2.310)

NR

Malik

L3-SMI

< 52.4 cm2/m2 for men and < 38.5 cm2/m2 for women

PFS(adjusted HR, 1.47, 0.88–2.5)

19.1 months