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 Clin Oncol. Jun 24, 2026; 17(6): 119908
Published online Jun 24, 2026. doi: 10.5306/wjco.119908
Published online Jun 24, 2026. doi: 10.5306/wjco.119908
From simple body mass index to lifesaving action: Linking low muscle mass, late diagnosis, and survival in chemoradiotherapy-treated esophageal cancer
Sara Cristina González, Carmen Aida Ramirez, Esther Holgado, Department of Medical Oncology, GenesisCare-San Francisco de Asís University Hospital, Madrid 28002, Spain
Felipe Couñago, Department of Radiation Oncology, GenesisCare-San Francisco de Asís University Hospital, Madrid 28002, Spain
Author contributions: González SC contributed to the review of the literature, the discussion and design of the manuscript; Ramirez CA, Holgado E, and Couñago F contributed to writing and editing the manuscript; and all authors contributed to this paper.
AI contribution statement: Grok (developed by xAI) was used, Grok was used exclusively for language polishing and grammatical style improvement, specifically in the Abstract section. We confirm that the scientific content, interpretation of results, and all original ideas in the manuscript are entirely the work of the authors.
Conflict-of-interest statement: All authors declare that they have no conflict of interest to disclose.
Corresponding author: Felipe Couñago, MD, Attending Doctor, Department of Radiation Oncology, GenesisCare-San Francisco de Asís University Hospital, Calle Joaquín Costa 28, Madrid 28002, Spain. felipe.counago@genesiscare.es
Received: February 11, 2026
Revised: February 25, 2026
Accepted: April 20, 2026
Published online: June 24, 2026
Processing time: 132 Days and 22.1 Hours
Revised: February 25, 2026
Accepted: April 20, 2026
Published online: June 24, 2026
Processing time: 132 Days and 22.1 Hours
Core Tip
Core Tip: In the challenging landscape of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC), where late diagnosis often brings progressive dysphagia, feeding difficulties, and chronic caloric-protein deficits that accelerate muscle wasting even before treatment begins, Xiao et al offer a compelling insight. Baseline body mass index emerges as a simple yet potent predictor of low muscle mass in ESCC patients facing chemoradiotherapy, highlighting opportunities for early nutritional and exercise interventions to mitigate poor survival outcomes.