Sarcopenia Risk Screening in Patients With Gastrointestinal Cancer Using SARC-F

Sarcopenia is a syndrome characterized by progressive loss of skeletal muscle mass and strength and is associated with worse outcomes in cancer patients. It can negatively affect prognosis, increase postoperative complications, reduce tolerance to systemic therapy, and impair quality of life. Sarcopenia may be present even in patients with preserved nutritional status or overweight. This study evaluated the proportion of patients with gastrointestinal cancer who were at risk of sarcopenia, as assessed by the SARC-F screening questionnaire, before initiation of systemic treatment and during treatment. Patients with a positive screening result could be referred for further nutritional evaluation and assessment of sarcopenia severity using anthropometric measurements and DXA, according to standard clinical practice.