Absence of risk of sarcopenia protects cancer patients from fatigue

Background: Cancer and its treatments often lead to sarcopenia and fatigue. However, whether these factors are associated remains unproven.Objective: To evaluate whether the risk of sarcopenia predicts the presence of fatigue.Methods: A cross-sectional study was completed and included 198 cancer patients of both sexes, undergoing in- and outpatient treatment. The Strength, Assistance for walking, Rise from a chair, Climb stairs, and Falls (SARC-F) and the Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy Fatigue (FACT-F) were used to assess the risk of sarcopenia and the presence of fatigue, respectively. The cut-off values used to identify the risk of sarcopenia and the severity of fatigue scale were SARC-F ≥ 4 and Fatigue Results: Out of 198 patients, 35% were at risk of sarcopenia and of these 87% had fatigue. Patients at risk of sarcopenia had lower scores in the FACT-F subscales, lower handgrip strength, lower performance status, were mostly hospitalized and were sedentary. Logistic regression analysis revealed that patients with SARC-F : 0.83; CI 95% [0.79-0.88], p : 0.87; CI 95% [0.81-0.92], p Conclusion: In patients with cancer, 35% presented risk of sarcopenia and of these 87% had fatigue. In addition, the absence of sarcopenia was considered protective against fatigue.