Do skeletal muscle bulk and density affect survival outcome in pediatric patients with rhabdomyosarcoma?
| Title: | Do skeletal muscle bulk and density affect survival outcome in pediatric patients with rhabdomyosarcoma? |
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| Authors: | Salman R; Department of Radiology, Nationwide Children's Hospital and The Ohio State University College of Medicine, Columbus, OH, USA.; Ngan E; Edward B. Singleton Department of Radiology, Texas Children's Hospital and Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA.; Starosolski ZA; Edward B. Singleton Department of Radiology, Texas Children's Hospital and Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA.; Venkatramani R; Division of Hematology/Oncology, Department of Pediatrics, Texas Children's Cancer Center, Texas Children's Hospital and Baylor College of Medicine, 6701 Fannin Street, Suite 470, Houston, TX, 77030, USA.; Pickhardt PJ; Department of Radiology, University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, Madison, WI, USA.; Summers RM; Radiology and Imaging Sciences, National Institutes of Health Clinical Center, Bethesda, MD, USA.; Annapragada AV; Edward B. Singleton Department of Radiology, Texas Children's Hospital and Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA.; Sammer MBK; Edward B. Singleton Department of Radiology, Texas Children's Hospital and Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA. xmbsammer@texaschildrens.org. |
| Source: | La Radiologia medica [Radiol Med] 2026 Apr; Vol. 131 (4), pp. 693-696. Date of Electronic Publication: 2026 Mar 05. |
| Publication Type: | Journal Article |
| Language: | English |
| Journal Info: | Publisher: Springer Milan Country of Publication: Italy NLM ID: 0177625 Publication Model: Print-Electronic Cited Medium: Internet ISSN: 1826-6983 (Electronic) Linking ISSN: 00338362 NLM ISO Abbreviation: Radiol Med Subsets: MEDLINE |
| Imprint Name(s): | Publication: Milan : Springer Milan; Original Publication: Torino [etc.] Minerva medica. |
| MeSH Terms: | Muscle, Skeletal*/diagnostic imaging ; Muscle, Skeletal*/pathology ; Rhabdomyosarcoma*/mortality ; Rhabdomyosarcoma*/diagnostic imaging ; Rhabdomyosarcoma*/pathology ; Tomography, X-Ray Computed*/methods; Humans ; Male ; Female ; Child ; Retrospective Studies ; Child, Preschool ; Adolescent ; Infant ; Body Composition ; Sex Factors ; Age Factors |
| Abstract: | This retrospective study of 118 pediatric rhabdomyosarcoma patients aimed to determine the relationship between skeletal muscle characteristics on diagnostic CT scans and outcome. Univariate analysis revealed that older age and higher muscle bulk were associated with increased risk of events and mortality. While age remained a significant predictor in Cox regression for event-free survival, higher muscle density was associated with improved overall survival. Interestingly, a significant interaction between dichotomized muscle bulk and sex was observed for overall survival, suggesting higher bulk was associated with worse outcomes in males but potentially better outcomes in females. Our findings indirectly emphasize the importance of maintaining good nutrition and physical activity during chemotherapy to preserve muscle and improve outcomes, but further multicenter research is necessary to understand the complex interplay between body composition, sex and outcome in pediatric rhabdomyosarcoma.; (© 2026. Italian Society of Medical Radiology.) |
| Competing Interests: | Declarations. Conflict of interest: The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest. Ethical approval: A signed data user agreement between Children’s Oncology Group (COG) and Texas Children’s Hospital authorized this retrospective HIPAA-compliant study, waiving informed consent. Consent to participate: Not applicable. Consent to publication: Not applicable. |
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| Contributed Indexing: | Keywords: Body composition; Muscle bulk; Muscle density; Rhabdomyosarcoma; Sarcopenia |
| Entry Date(s): | Date Created: 20260305 Date Completed: 20260422 Latest Revision: 20260422 |
| Update Code: | 20260423 |
| DOI: | 10.1007/s11547-025-02168-8 |
| PMID: | 41784889 |
| Database: | MEDLINE |
Journal Article