OBJECTIVES: Assessment of malnutrition-related muscle depletion with computed tomography (CT) using skeletal muscle index (SMI) and muscle radiation attenuation (MRA) at the third lumbar vertebra is well validated. However, SMI and MRA values at other vertebral locations and interchangeability as parameters …

INTRODUCTION: In patients with cancer, low muscle mass has been associated with a higher risk of fatigue, poorer treatment outcomes, and mortality. To determine body composition with computed tomography (CT), measuring the muscle quantity at the level of lumbar 3 (L3) is suggested. However, in patients …

Rationale: Patients with cancer of the upper gastrointestinal tract or lung are more likely to present with malnutrition at diagnosis than, for instance, patients with melanoma. Low muscle mass is an indicator of malnutrition and can be determined by computed tomography (CT) analysis of the skeletal …