Low Truncal Muscle Area on Chest Computed Tomography: A Poor Prognostic Factor for the Cure of Early-Stage Non-Small-Cell Lung Cancer

Sun and colleagues investigated the relationship between low skeletal muscle mass and the prognosis of early-stage non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). In more than 300 patients with early-stage NSCLC, the truncal muscle index at the first lumbar vertebral level correlated with lower rates of recurrence-free and overall survival five years after resection. The authors conclude that the truncal muscle index could be useful to include in the preoperative assessment of patients for whom curative resection of NSCLC is planned.