termsTerm
Body composition (lean mass, fat mass, visceral fat)
aka Skeletal muscle index, L3 muscle area, Visceral adiposity
What a person's weight is made of: muscle, fat under the skin, fat around the organs. It predicts cancer outcomes far better than weight or BMI, and can be read from routine CT scans.
BMI misclassifies sarcopenic obesity and muscular individuals. CT at L3 gives skeletal muscle area and density, visceral and subcutaneous fat; DXA and bioimpedance are alternatives. Low muscle mass and low muscle density predict toxicity, complications and survival across cancers; high visceral fat predicts recurrence in colorectal cancer independently of BMI. Automated segmentation makes opportunistic reporting practical.
Category
Nutrition & lifestyle
technologies
8AI in radiologyCachexia pharmacotherapy: GDF-15 blockade, anamorelin, olanzapineCT (computed tomography)Dietitian-led weight-loss programmes in HR-positive breast cancerExercise during chemotherapy and radiotherapyGLP-1 receptor agonists and obesity-related cancer riskOncology nutrition assessment and medical nutrition therapyResistance training and protein for cachexia and sarcopenia