European journal of surgical oncology : the journal of the European Society of Surgical Oncology and the British Association of Surgical Oncology
October 11, 2026 · via Europe PMC
Preoperative circulating musclin as a candidate biomarker of postoperative skeletal muscle vulnerability in colorectal cancer.
Kim Y, Nam JS, Shin SJ, Kim Y, Kang J, Ahn CW
AI summary — for doctors, generated from the abstract only
Higher preoperative circulating musclin was associated with better postoperative muscle status in colorectal cancer surgery patients.
What was studied
A retrospective single-center study of 106 CRC surgery patients (95 with postoperative CT) examining serum musclin and natriuretic peptides against skeletal muscle index (SMI) and its change.
Key findings
- Higher musclin was associated with higher postoperative SMI (B = 1.872; 95% CI 0.765-2.979)
- More than 5% SMI loss occurred in 27 of 95 patients
- Higher musclin was associated with lower odds of that loss (OR = 0.529; P = 0.038)
Clinical relevance
Musclin may become a blood marker for identifying patients at risk of postoperative muscle loss.
Who should care
Limitations
Results are truncated at the end. Small retrospective sample, variable CT timing (73 to 685 days), and association only.
A candidate biomarker that requires prospective testing.
This is an AI-generated summary of the published abstract, not a clinical recommendation. It may not reflect the full text or subsequent updates — verify against the original source before acting on it.
Abstract
INTRODUCTION
Postoperative skeletal muscle deterioration is associated with impaired recovery and adverse outcomes after colorectal cancer (CRC) surgery, but preoperative circulating markers of subsequent muscle loss remain insufficiently defined. We evaluated whether circulating musclin was associated with postoperative skeletal muscle status and longitudinal skeletal muscle index (SMI) change.
MATERIALS AND METHODS
This retrospective single-center study included 106 adults undergoing CRC surgery, of whom 95 had postoperative computed tomography (CT) data. Postoperative CT was obtained at a median of 198 days (IQR, 151-220; range, 73-685 days) after preoperative CT. CT-derived body composition was quantified at the third lumbar vertebra, and serum musclin and natriuretic peptides (NPs) were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. The primary outcome was postoperative SMI; greater than 5% SMI loss, percentage SMI change, and longitudinal musclin change were also evaluated.
RESULTS
Higher preoperative musclin was associated with higher postoperative SMI in the fully adjusted model (B = 1.872; 95% CI, 0.765-2.979; p = 0.001). Greater than 5% SMI loss occurred in 27 of 95 patients, and higher preoperative musclin was associated with lower odds of this outcome (OR = 0.529; P = 0.038) and with a more favorable percentage SMI change (B = 3.941; P = 0.004). Absolute musclin change was positively associated with postoperative SMI in the baseline-adjusted analysis (B = 5.067; P < 0.001). Musclin-NP interaction terms were not significant.
CONCLUSION
Preoperative circulating musclin was associated with postoperative skeletal muscle status and longitudinal SMI change after CRC surgery. These findings support further prospective evaluation of musclin as a candidate circulating marker of postoperative skeletal muscle vulnerability.
DOI
10.1016/j.ejso.2026.112208
PMID
42887074
Research metadata (titles, abstracts, authors, publication dates) is sourced from Europe PMC, which aggregates content from PubMed/MEDLINE, PubMed Central, and other providers under the U.S. National Library of Medicine (NLM/NCBI). NLM does not claim copyright on abstracts; the original journal publishers or authors may hold rights to the full articles. AI-generated summaries are derived only from the abstract, never the full text, and are always labeled as AI-generated.
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