Copyright: ©Author(s) 2026. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license. No commercial re-use. See permissions. Published by Baishideng Publishing Group Inc.
World J Gastroenterol. Jun 28, 2026; 32(24): 118757
Published online Jun 28, 2026. doi: 10.3748/wjg.v32.i24.118757
Published online Jun 28, 2026. doi: 10.3748/wjg.v32.i24.118757
Three-dimensional psoas muscle volume and longitudinal changes as predictors of outcomes in older patients with advanced pancreatic cancer
Yu Akazawa, Masahiro Ohtani, Yosuke Murata, Tomoko Tanaka, Takuto Nosaka, Kazuto Takahashi, Tatsushi Naito, Yasunari Nakamoto, Department of Gastroenterology, Faculty of Medical Sciences, University of Fukui, Fukui 910-1193, Japan
Author contributions: Akazawa Y, Ohtani M, and Nakamoto Y designed this study; Akazawa Y collected all the data and wrote the manuscript; Akazawa Y and Ohtani M analyzed the data; all authors critically reviewed and provided final approval of the manuscript, and were responsible for the decision to submit the manuscript for publication.
Supported by Japan Society for the Promotion of Science KAKENHI Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research, No. 25K19290.
Institutional review board statement: This study was approved by the Institutional Review Board of the University of Fukui, No. 20220008.
Informed consent statement: The Ethics Committee waived the need for written informed consent for this retrospective study.
Conflict-of-interest statement: All the authors report no relevant conflicts of interest for this article.
Data sharing statement: No additional data are available.
Corresponding author: Yasunari Nakamoto, MD, PhD, Professor, Department of Gastroenterology, Faculty of Medical Sciences, University of Fukui, 23-3 Matsuoka Shimoaizuki, Eiheiji-Cho, Yoshida-Gun, Fukui 910-1193, Japan.
Received: January 12, 2026
Revised: February 17, 2026
Accepted: March 23, 2026
Published online: June 28, 2026
Processing time: 149 Days and 13.5 Hours
Revised: February 17, 2026
Accepted: March 23, 2026
Published online: June 28, 2026
Processing time: 149 Days and 13.5 Hours
Core Tip
Core Tip: Sarcopenia is increasingly recognized as a key determinant of survival outcomes in various cancers. In this study, a three-dimensional psoas volume index was used to evaluate skeletal muscle dynamics in relation to clinical outcomes in older patients with advanced pancreatic cancer undergoing gemcitabine plus nab-paclitaxel therapy. Baseline sarcopenia and early muscle deterioration were strongly associated with poor tolerability, shorter time to treatment failure, and markedly reduced survival. These findings highlight that volumetric skeletal muscle assessment before and during chemotherapy may help predict clinical outcomes and contribute to more individualized treatment optimization in older patients with pancreatic cancer.